ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department will be attending the high-level Ministerial Dialogue on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action on 6 June 2014 in Bonn, Germany; what the Government's aims are in such talks; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The UK is represented at senior official levels at Bonn. It is a mid-year meeting paving the way for the Lima Conference of Parties (COP) in December and Ministers do not usually attend the Bonn meetings.

TREASURY

Apprentices

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the contribution by the Deputy Leader of the House, Official Report, columns 841-2, on new clause 1 of the Deregulation Bill, how the information-sharing gateway will operate.

David Gauke: HMRC requires specific legal authority or a ‘gateway’ in order to be able to disclose information it holds in connection with its functions. Once this is in place, HMRC requires any disclosure of information to a public sector body to be governed by a robust memorandum of understanding. This will set out:
	The legal basis for sharing the information;
	The agreed administrative arrangements, including timescales, persons involved, security arrangements and frequency of disclosure;
	The circumstances (if any) under which the data may be disclosed and the sanctions that protect against unlawful disclosure of the information; and
	The mechanism for maintaining an audit trail or record for HMRC of all external disclosures of data.
	HMRC has a duty to ensure that any information transfers to a public sector body are legal and secure. HMRC also seeks an ongoing assurance that the transferred information will be treated in accordance with agreed standards and protocols. In addition, even where a legal gateway exists, any information disclosures must be compliant with both the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act.

Welfare Tax Credits

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of the average claim for tax credit made by people who were (a) out of work, (b) self-employed and (c) employed in each of the last five years.

Nicky Morgan: The following table is based on finalised tax credits administrative data for each financial year.
	
		
			   Average tax credit award for households who are classified as 'in work' 
			  Average tax credit award for households who are classified as 'out of work' (£) Households who are classified as self employed only (£) Households who are classified as employed only (£) Households who are classified as both employed and self employed (£) 
			 2008-09 4,700 6,500 3,300 3,700 
			 2009-10 5,000 6,800 3,700 4,000 
			 2010-11 5,200 6,900 3,900 4,100 
			 2011-12 5,600 7,200 4,500 4,800 
			 2012-13 6,000 7,600 6,300 6,400 
			 Note: These figures have been rounded to the nearest £100. 
		
	
	The increase in average tax credit awards in 2012-13 can largely be explained by the removal of the ‘Second Income Threshold’ in April 2012. This policy removed a number of higher income households from the tax credit population. As higher income households generally have lower tax credits awards, the effect of removing these households increases the average award.

Welfare Tax Credits

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of tax credit claimants were (a) out of work, (b) self-employed and (c) employed in each of the last five years.

Nicky Morgan: The following table is based on finalised tax credits administrative data for each financial year.
	
		
			 Tax year  Proportion of households in receipt of tax credits who are classified as ‘in work' 
			 Proportion of households in receipt of tax credits who are classified as 'out of work' (%) Households who are classified as self employed only (%) Households who are classified as employed only (%) Households who are classified as both employed and self employed (%) 
			 2008-09 23 6 63 8 
			 2009-10 24 7 62 8 
			 2010-11 23 7 62 8 
			 2011-12 25 8 58 8 
			 2012-13 32 10 51 7 
		
	
	The increase in the proportion of out of work and self employed households in 2012-13 (and the decrease in the proportion of employed households) can largely be explained by the removal of the ‘Second Income Threshold’ of tax credits in April 2012. This policy change removed a large number of higher income households from the population. As self employed and out of work households generally have lower incomes, they were less affected by this change and so their proportion in the population has increased.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Academic Year

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the economic effects of deregulating school holidays on (a) tourism-related jobs in seaside and coastal areas and (b) seaside economies in general;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government’s proposed Deregulation Bill on tourism employment in England.

Edward Vaizey: At present, local authorities set term and holiday dates for about 30% of secondary schools and 70% of primary schools (around half of all registered pupils). The Deregulation Bill gives more schools the flexibility to make changes should they wish to, although the experience of the academies programme and voluntary aided (church) schools, suggests that only a small percentage of schools are likely to vary their term dates.
	The Department for Education has produced an assessment of the impact of the changes. While there will be greater flexibility, we expect that sensible conversations between the local authority and schools on co-ordination will take place. Variations to term dates could also help businesses and employers, for example, in areas of high-seasonal employment where employees may welcome the chance to holiday outside of peak tourist periods. For example, Bishop Bronescombe school in St Austell has a two-week half term in May/June to accommodate parents’ seasonal employment patterns.
	A separate assessment of the specific impact on tourism-related jobs in seaside towns or seaside economies has not been carried out.

Academic Year

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions his Ministers or officials in his Department have had with colleagues in the Department for Education on the effect of deregulating school holidays on the tourism industry.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS officials meet with their Department for Education counterparts regularly and discuss a range of issues.

Libraries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 1 May 2014, Official Report, columns 809-10W, on Arts Council England, how much Arts Council England spending on libraries was obtained from (a) grant-in-aid and lottery funding in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England spending on libraries for the years requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2012-13 2013-14 
			 Grant in aid 687,000 622,287 
			 Lottery 1,001,200 2,418,224 
		
	
	Libraries are funded by local authorities, who have a statutory duty to maintain local library services.

Press

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to meet victims of press abuse and their representatives.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has received a formal request for a meeting, which he has accepted. This will be held in due course.

JUSTICE

Courts: Telephone Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many calls were made on higher-rate telephone numbers to (a) magistrates' courts, (b) county courts and county court money claims centres in England in 2012-13 and 2013-14; and what the average duration was of calls to such numbers.

Shailesh Vara: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him on 12 May 2014, Official Report, columns 413-14W (for volume and average duration of calls), and on 10 April 2014, Official Report, columns 396-97W (for a note on money claims centres).

Legal Aid Scheme

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much has been spent on (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in (A) England and (B) York in each year since 1995;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of people with cases before (a) civil and (b) criminal courts received legal aid in (i) England and (ii) York in each year since 1995.

Shailesh Vara: The amount spent on (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in (i) cash (ie net of operating receipts) and (ii) real terms in each of the last 20 years was provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member’s parliamentary question 160682.
	The Legal Aid Agency does not record the number of people who receive legal aid. Instead it records the number of 'acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person. As the categorisation of legal aid has changed over the last 20 years, acts of assistance relating to representation in court cannot be accurately compared over time. The total acts of assistance relating to civil and criminal cases from 1995 onwards were provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member’s parliamentary question 160683.
	With regard to the breakdowns requested for England and York, to extract the information requested from the Legal Aid Agency's IT Systems would incur disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons legal aid funding in relation to the case of the constituent of the hon. Member for Workington, Gary Tomlinson, Claim Number OWH0080, Cert number JBIRQK61BB77/A/E/1, was withdrawn.

Shailesh Vara: The receipt of legal aid is considered to be personal data and the Department has obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 which would prevent it from disclosing this type of information. Furthermore, the Legal Aid Agency is further prohibited by statute from disclosing information relating to the provision of legal aid in individual cases (under section 34 of the LASPO Act 2012, section 20 of the Access to Justice Act 1999, and before this under section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988).

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mortgage possession claims were approved by the courts in each (a) region of England and (b) London borough in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice collects data on mortgage possession claims and these are published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics
	The tables provided give figures on the number of mortgage claims in the County courts from 2011-12 to 2013-14.

Surveillance: Aircraft

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role the Information Commissioner's Office has in (a) the trial of the Aeroyn Skyranger drone around Gatwick airport and (b) any other use of other surveillance aircraft operated by Government Departments, agents or public bodies in the UK.

Simon Hughes: The Information Commissioner’s Office has no specific role in the trial of the Aeryon Skyranger drone around Gatwick airport. Members of the Information Commissioner’s staff sit on the Cross-Government Working Group on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. They advise on any data protection compliance issues that arise.
	In addition the ICO is currently consulting on its revised CCTV code of practice which includes a section on remotely operated vehicles, or drones:
	http://ico.org.uk/about_us/consultations/our_consultations

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the ability for individuals detained for immigration purposes at HM Prison The Verne to access (a) legal and (b) health services.

Jeremy Wright: HM Prison The Verne started taking immigration detainees from 24 March 2014 as scheduled. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will retain The Verne as a prison in the short term.
	While The Verne retains its designation as a prison it will be governed by Prison Rules rather than Detention Centre Rules. Detainees held at The Verne are treated in the same way as other detainees held within the prison estate. As such they have access to appropriate heath care and legal advice. Independent immigration advice is provided on site by Migrant Help. In addition, detainees are able to telephone Detention Action, and BID (Bail for Immigration detainees).

TRANSPORT

Consultants

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a breakdown by firm of expenditure by his Department on (a) consultants and (b) consultancy firms in each of the last four years.

Stephen Hammond: Information requested will be deposited in the Library and provides the spend details per financial year for the period 2010 to 2014.

Driving Offences: Insurance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of uninsured drivers have been reported, by region, in each of the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: It is not possible to calculate the number of uninsured drivers. However, the number of uninsured vehicles in Great Britain has fallen to 1 million from 1.4 million in 2010 due to a combination of police enforcement activity and the continuous insurance enforcement scheme. We do not have a breakdown by region.

East Coast Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of rail freight access and path allocation over the Welwyn Viaduct beyond January 2018; and what discussions he held with rail freight (a) operators and (b) industry groups regarding future freight access over the Welwyn Viaduct before he approved the InterCity East Coast invitation to tender.

Stephen Hammond: The East Coast Main Line franchise was the subject of a full consultation prior to the issue of the Invitation to Tender. The Freight Operating Companies and the Rail Freight Group were included in this consultation and at least two of the Freight Operating Companies responded.
	The primary responsibility for the allocation of paths on the rail network rests with Network Rail. However, Network Rail needs to take account not only of the Department's requirements in its franchise specifications but also of existing track access rights held by other train operators, passenger and freight, subject to the ORR's responsibilities as independent regulator.
	The Department is represented on the cross-industry planning (the IPG) group that has been established to review future capacity requirements of all operators on the route.

Greenfield Station

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers used Greenfield station in Greater Manchester in each year since 2010.

Stephen Hammond: Estimates of the number of passengers using each station on the rail network are published on the Office of Rail Regulation’s website at the following link:
	http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates
	The methodology for this data set has changed over time as improvements have been made, so the estimates from different years may not have been produced on a consistent basis. Details of the methodology changes made each year can be found in the accompanying reports.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the costs to date has been of the preparation work for the connection of High Speed 2 to High Speed 1.

Robert Goodwill: In response to the HS2 Plus report by Sir David Higgins, the Secretary of State for Transport, has decided to remove the HS1-HS2 link from the Phase One Hybrid Bill. The proposed link required too many compromises in terms of impacts on freight, passengers and the community in Camden.
	We believe there is a good strategic case for links to the continent but we need to select the right long term answer. The Secretary of State has therefore asked HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to consider how to improve connections from HS2 and the existing rail network to the Continent. We are currently developing the scope of the proposed study, which will explore options that will stand the test of time. As a result, at this stage no significant costs have been incurred in relation to the study.

Roads: Safety

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made by his Department's Justice for Vulnerable Road Users Working Group.

Robert Goodwill: The Justice for Vulnerable Road Users group is a sub-group of the Cycling Stakeholder Forum. It includes representatives from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Metropolitan Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Sentencing Council, CTC, British Cycling and RoadPeace. The next meeting is scheduled for later this month.
	The remit of the group is set out in a terms of reference agreed by the membership. The group has recently looked into whether it would be possible to link data to see how many fatal road traffic accidents have resulted into convictions and this will most likely be discussed at the forthcoming meeting. Many of the other concerns of the Group should be covered in the forthcoming Ministry of Justice Review of Motoring Offences.

Rolling Stock: Greater Manchester

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with train operating companies in Greater Manchester on last minute reductions in train configurations.

Stephen Hammond: The franchise agreement between the Government and each individual train operator includes benchmarks in key performance areas. The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance against these areas every four weeks and there are clear actions set out in the franchise agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.
	Short-forming (last minute reductions in train configurations) is included in this monitoring, and therefore in the monthly meetings. It is the train operator that decides on whether a service is to be short-formed, and if contractual benchmark figures are breached, the Department does take enforcement action.
	Some services in Greater Manchester are sponsored and specified by Transport for Greater Manchester, who also monitor the performance of the operators concerned.

Secondment

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people working in (a) HS2 Ltd and (b) his Department are (i) on secondment, (ii) on loan and (iii) paid for by another company; and in each case what the parent company or organisation of such people was.

Robert Goodwill: The number of people seconded and loaned to my whole Department and HS2 Ltd are set out in the following tables.
	
		
			 HS2 Ltd 
			 Parent company/organisation Number of secondees Unpaid1 
			 AECOM 3 0 
			 Cabinet Office 1 0 
			 Carter Jonas 1 0 
			 DCLG 1 0 
			 DECC 1 0 
			 DEFRA 1 0 
			 DELOITTES 1 0 
			 DFT 24 0 
			 Ernst and Young LLP 2 0 
			 Gardiner and Theobald 4 0 
			 Network Rail 17 0 
			 Pick Everard 4 0 
			 ETM 1 0 
			 PwC 3 0 
			 Westbourne Communications 2 0 
			 Total 66 0 
			 Loans 0 0 
			 1 Payments are invoiced to HS2 Ltd. 
		
	
	
		
			 DFT 
			   Total 
			 Loans Paid 25 
			  Unpaid 19 
			 Loan total  44 
			    
			 Secondment Paid 4 
			  Unpaid 20 
			 Secondment total  24 
			 Total  68 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information centrally on the parent company or organisation where they have come from.

EDUCATION

Free School Meals

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all schools can provide free school meals for infant children by September 2014.

David Laws: The Government are providing substantial funding to enable schools to offer free meals to all infant pupils from September 2014, including over £1 billion additional revenue funding over the two years 2014 to 2016 and £150 million capital funding in 2014-15. The revenue funding includes transitional funding to small schools, worth a minimum of £3,000, which qualifying schools will be able to use to help them overcome delivery challenges.
	We are also funding a national support service, run by school food experts, which is providing advice and guidance to schools that need assistance in implementing universal infant free school meals. The support includes a telephone helpline, the sharing of good practice, and an intensive face-to-face support service for schools facing significant challenges.

Free School Meals

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of schools which will be unable to provide universal free school meals for infant children from September 2014.

David Laws: From September, all state-funded schools in England will be under a statutory duty to offer a free school lunch to all infant pupils. Based on the feedback we are receiving, the vast majority of schools are already on track to deliver this policy and we are supporting the other schools to do so.

GCSE

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many schools no pupils were entered for GCSEs in (a) history and (b) biology, chemistry and physics in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Laws: Of the 3,0241 state-funded mainstream schools:
	(a) 19 schools entered no pupils for GCSE history or ancient history in 2012/13.
	(b) 299 schools entered no pupils for biology, chemistry and physics in 2012/13.
	This information can be downloaded from the Performance Tables website2.
	1 State-funded mainstream schools included in Performance Tables only. This includes academies, free schools and city technology colleges but excludes independent schools, special schools, alternative provisions and pupil referral units.
	2 http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download _data.html

GCSE

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many pupils have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework under the 50 per cent rule in each of the last five years;
	(2)  if he will commission a review of the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent representations he has received on the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education recently received a letter from the hon. Member on this issue, raising the case of a student in her constituency, to which he has responded. From time to time Ministers receive representations from members of the public, and from hon. Members on their behalf, on the same matter.
	Neither the Department nor the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation holds information on the number of pupils who have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework. This information may be held by individual awarding bodies.
	The rules governing the circumstances in which a GCSE grade may be awarded to a student who has not completed all the elements of the assessment are a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the hon. Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education is responsible for a wide range of issues which relate to a number of the key determinants of children's well-being as captured in the ONS' Children's well-being measures in the Measuring National Well-being Programme. These include policies designed to raise educational attainment, promote take-up of early years education, tackle bullying in schools and reduce child poverty.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North dated 30 April 2014, ref 2014/0036207, on behalf of a constituent.

Edward Timpson: The hon. Member wrote to Peter Lauener, chief executive of the Education Funding Agency, on 30 April 2014 about admissions arrangements at Walsall academy. He copied his letter to the Secretary of State for Education, Mr Lauener replied to the hon. Member on 14 May.

Members: Correspondence

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central received by his office on 29 May 2014, relating to the recent situation in Birmingham.

Edward Timpson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Education to the House on 9 June 2014, Official Report, columns 264-66, which addressed the questions raised in his letter.

Park View Educational Trust

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what reports on the management, financial conduct and teaching standards at the Park View Education Trust he has requested since the school became an academy;
	(2)  when (a) he and (b) officials in his Department first heard about allegations of misconduct at the Park View Educational Trust.

Edward Timpson: The allegations made in relation to Park View Educational Trust in Birmingham are very serious and are being investigated. The Secretary of State for Education made a statement to the House on 9 June 2014 on the allegations.

Pre-school Education

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free early years education places were provided in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the take up of free early years places in Suffolk and England is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of three and four-year-olds benefiting from funded early education places1 
			  Suffolk England 
			 2009 14,960 1,158,760 
			 2010 15,140 1,186,370 
			 2011 15,450 1,224,470 
			 2012 16,100 1,264,420 
			 2013 16,200 1,283,500 
			 1 Count of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year. Number of three and four-year-olds in schools may include some two-year-olds. Any child attending more than one provider will have only been counted once. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Notes: 1. The data is not available at parliamentary constituency level and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. 2. The response covers the information requested for England only. Source: Early Years Census (EYC), School Census (SC) and School Level Annual School Census (SLASC).

Primary Education: Admissions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Department's School Admissions Code, published in February 2012, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the consistent and effectual application of sections 2.16 and 2.17 of that code to primary education admissions for summer-born children.

David Laws: We published advice on the admission of summer-born children in July 2013. We are now monitoring the impact of this advice and have committed to review it one year after its publication.
	Officials are investigating cases referred to them to ensure admission authorities are complying with the provisions in the code.

Pupils: North East

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much in pupil premium has been paid to (a) first, (b) middle and (c) upper schools in (i) Hexham, (ii) Northumberland and (iii) the North East to date.

David Laws: Figures showing the pupil premium allocations to schools in the Hexham constituency area, Northumberland local authority, and the north-east in the financial years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 are given in the following tables. These include allocations to academies in each area in each year. The figures for secondary schools include middle schools and all-through schools.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2011-12 Deprivation Premium 2011-12 Service Child Premium 2011-12 LAC Premium 2012-13 Deprivation Premium 2012-13 Service Child Premium 
			 Hexham constituency      
			 Primary 149,000 n/a n/a 283,000 n/a 
			 Secondary and middle schools 176,000 n/a n/a 475,000 n/a 
			 Total 325,000 13,000 n/a 758,000 18,000 
			       
			 Northumberland      
			 Primary 1,314,000 n/a n/a 2,266,000 n/a 
			 Secondary and middle schools 1,586,000 n/a n/a 3,477,000 n/a 
			 Total 2,900,000 79,000 94,000 5,743,000 122,000 
			       
			 North East      
			 Primary 21,322,000 n/a n/a 37,142,000 n/a 
			 Secondary and middle schools 14,090,000 n/a n/a 28,633,000 n/a 
			 Total 35,412,000 268,000 1,198,000 65,775,000 445,000 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			  2012-13 LAC Premium 2013-14 Deprivation Premium 2013-14 Service Child Premium 2013-14 LAC Premium Total, 2011-12 to 2013-14 
			 Hexham constituency      
			 Primary n/a 448,000 n/a n/a 880,000 
			 Secondary and middle schools n/a 754,000 n/a n/a 1,405,000 
			 Total n/a 1,202,000 24,000 n/a 2,339,000 
			       
			 Northumberland      
			 Primary n/a 3,700,000 n/a n/a 7,279,000 
			 Secondary and middle schools n/a 5,301,000 n/a n/a 10,363,000 
			 Total 122,000 9,000,000 156,000 175,000 18,390,000 
			       
			 North East      
			 Primary n/a 59,233,000 n/a n/a 117,697,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Secondary and middle schools n/a 42,591,000 n/a n/a 85,314,000 
			 Total 1,622,000 101,824,000 650,000 2,469,000 209,663,000 
			 Notes: 1. There is no published service child premium data at a school level for data protection reasons. 2. The looked-after children (LAC) premium is allocated at a local authority level, so no school or constituency level information is available. 3. The deprivation premium figures relate to mainstream primary, secondary, middle and all-through schools. However the local authority totals for the service child and LAC premiums also include local authority maintained special schools, special academies, pupil referral units, alternative provision academies, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, and pupils aged 4 and above with an AP type of not in school.

Schools: Curriculum

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will introduce the teaching of the dangers of pornography into the school syllabus.

Elizabeth Truss: Teaching about sex and relationship education (SRE) is already compulsory in maintained secondary schools, and academies are expected to provide SRE as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
	When teaching SRE, all schools must have regard to the Secretary of State's statutory guidance, which sets out that SRE should be age-appropriate. Schools should ensure SRE supports young people to develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour. Schools are encouraged to develop their SRE practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals who are best placed to provide schools with up-to-date materials and advice on changing technologies.
	Schools will welcome the new supplementary advice, ‘Sex and relationships education (SRE) for the 21st century', published recently by the PSHE Association, the Sex Education Forum and Brook. This addresses changes in technology and legislation since 2000, and will equip teachers to help protect children and young people from inappropriate online content, including the dangers of pornography, and from online bullying, harassment and exploitation.

Schools: Radicalism

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish his correspondence with the Secretary of State for the Home Department relating to extremism in schools.

Edward Timpson: In line with long-standing precedent, the Government do not normally publish internal correspondence between Departments.

Schools: Radicalism

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what dates he has met the Secretary of State for the Home Department to discuss extremism in schools since May 2010.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects.

Schools: Radicalism

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he was first informed about concerns relating to extremism in schools.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education established a dedicated due diligence and counter extremism division within the Department for Education in October 2010 in order to tackle the threat of extremism in schools. The Government’s revised “Prevent” strategy, published in June 2011, set out a general assessment of the threat. The Government have always been very clear that there is no place for extremist views in any school.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what scientific purposes she has licensed procedures on animals that were likely to cause severe suffering since 2010; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of animals experiencing severe suffering in scientific procedures.

Norman Baker: The information asked for is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Government only authorises procedures on animals after rigorous checks. Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 there is a statutory requirement for scrutiny by, in the first instance, the Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body at the Establishment where the work will be performed, and then an assessment is made by the Home Office Inspectorate. In addition, projects are referred to the Animals in Science Committee for scrutiny where they propose the use of non-human primates in severe protocols and other projects that ministers consider require further consideration.
	One of the key factors in the assessment of licence applications is the harm-benefit analysis, which has been part of our assessment process since 1986. The parameters considered in this analysis are described in Appendix I of the Operational Guidance to the 1986 Act. A harm-benefit analysis determines whether the proposed harms to the animals are justified by the likely benefits to be delivered from the project. Inspectors give advice on minimising harms during their assessment of project licence applications. Licensees have a legal responsibility to ensure that work is undertaken on animals in the least severe manner possible whilst delivering their scientific objectives. This year we are undertaking a review of the harm-benefit analysis process, with advice from the Animals in Science Committee, to determine if there are further refinements we can make to the process.
	I am committed to working to reduce the number of animals used in scientific procedures. The Coalition Commitment delivery plan "Working to reduce the use of animals in research" was published in February 2014. In particular, the Home Office Inspectorate is working with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on methods of refinement of the most severe models to avoid or reduce animal suffering. This has included careful consideration of models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, seizures, rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis. Inspectors are actively promulgating the recommendations from each of these reports.
	In addition, the Home Office has published advisory notes on recording and reporting actual severity, as required by the transposed European Directive from 2013. From data collected we will provide clarity on the burden of harm and, over time, should give an indication of the effectiveness of refinement methods, particularly for the most severe procedures. It is important to note that procedures classified as severe represent only a small percentage of total procedures.

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will measure changes in the number of animals used in scientific procedures in the UK following publication of “Working to reduce the use of animals in scientific research” in July 2011.

Norman Baker: The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain for 2013 will be published on 10 July 2014. I will be publishing a progress report on the Coalition Commitment “Working to reduce the use of animals in research” in early 2015.

Animal Experiments: EU Law

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) cats, (b) dogs and (c) horses were retired and rehomed under European Union Directive 2010/63/EU in 2013.

Norman Baker: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.
	Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, authority may be given to re-home animals where those animals were bred or held for supply for use in regulated procedures, or were intended for use in regulated procedures, or have been used in regulated procedures. This may also apply to animals which are being kept under the care of the Named Veterinary Surgeon after completing procedures and is always contingent on our acceptance of certain reassurances relating to Section 17A of the Act. Records of each animal re-homed would be kept locally at the licensed establishment so that they can be available to Home Office Inspectors on request.
	European Directive 2010/63/EU, which was implemented in the UK and other Member States on 1 January 2013, does not provide legal grounds on which the UK can impose a mandatory obligation of re-homing under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Nevertheless, we have provided guidance on re-homing animals in our Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1983, section 5.21.

Asylum: Children

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 66W, on asylum: children, which local authorities have been granted extra funding because of their special circumstances.

James Brokenshire: The following local authorities receive additional funding due to special circumstances:
	Croydon, Kent, and Hillingdon local authorities have been granted additional funding which in the past was part of the “Gateway” arrangements, that has been superseded by enhanced rates. This is due to the larger than normal volumes of care leavers received in those local authorities, in comparison to other local authorities.
	Solihull local authority were not part of the “Gateway” arrangements but have since been granted additional enhanced payments for the same reasons.

Asylum: Housing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were accommodated in (a) hotels and (b) bed and breakfasts, hostels and other establishments that provide lodging paid on a short-term basis in (i) Barnsley, (ii) Yorkshire and Humberside and (iii) the UK in each year since May 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Department does not collect specific data on asylum applicants accommodated in contingency accommodation. COMPASS providers have a responsibility to provide suitable accommodation to asylum applicants. The COMPASS contracts allow providers to use alternative or temporary initial accommodation (IA) as contingency in exceptional circumstances, for example when the existing nominated IA is full. This may include the use of hotels for a short term period until such time as the asylum seeker is accommodated in the IA or provided with dispersal accommodation.

Asylum: Housing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure oversight and scrutiny of private contractors responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers.

James Brokenshire: The providers are contractually required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation to comply with the Housing Act 2004 and the Decent Homes Standard. The COMPASS contracts contain high standards and requirements to be met by providers in the services they provide to asylum applicants. The contracts also contain robust monitoring mechanism including regular meetings and inspection of services. Where standards are not met, providers reimburse the department in the form of service credits.

Asylum: Housing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure proper support and welfare is available to asylum seekers accommodated in hotels and other establishments that provide lodging paid on a short-term basis.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has a rigorous contract compliance regime in place including monthly meetings with providers, quarterly and biannual strategic meetings. These aim to ensure the required performance standards expected of all providers as defined in the contracts is met. In addition, the COMPASS contracts contain minimum standards of welfare that the provider must ensure is provided to asylum applicants, this includes briefing applicants on services to which they are entitled. For example giving details of how to use facilities in the accommodation, access to essential services in the local area and contact details for the provider and department so any concerns can be addressed.

British Nationality

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for citizenship were made in each year since 2009 from males recruited into the armed forces from Belize; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Information on whether individuals from Belize have been recruited into the armed forces and applied for British citizenship was not aggregated in national reporting systems prior to November 2012. This information could be obtained only by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.
	There are no such applications recorded since November 2012.

Crime Prevention: Northern Ireland

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps officials in her Department have taken with their Northern Ireland counterparts to ensure that best practice on the prevention of hate crime is shared across all administrations of the United Kingdom.

Norman Baker: Policing and criminal justice issues in Northern Ireland and Scotland are devolved matters. However, the Home Office works closely with Departments and the police across all devolved Administrations, to ensure that best practice, including criminal legislation, guidance for police officers and reporting facilities for victims, is shared to help prevent and tackle hate crime.

Drugs: Misuse

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested and charged with possession of class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs in (i) Bury St Edmunds, (ii) Suffolk and (iii) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The information requested is not available centrally. Data on arrests for drug offences reported to the Home Office cannot be separated to identify arrests for possession of specific drugs.
	Data on resultant charges are not collected centrally.

Firearms: Licensing

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Fire Arms Certificate (a) applications and (b) renewals were made in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013.

Norman Baker: Available data relate to the financial years 2010/11 to 2012/13 and were published in Table 1 of ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales 2012/13’, available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firearm-and-shotgun-certificates-in-england-and-wales-2012-to-2013
	For easy reference, data are also provided in the table below. Data relating to 2013-14 will be published on 7 August 2014.
	
		
			 Number of new and renewal applications for firearm certificates in England and Wales, 2010-11 to 2012-131 
			  New applications Renewal applications 
			  Granted Refused Granted Refused 
			 2010-11 11,286 129 34,132 34 
			 2011-12 11,502 119 35,723 50 
			 2012-13 10,077 138 28,696 54 
			 1Source: These statistics are obtained from the National Firearms Licensing Management System.

Firearms: Licensing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the EU on firearms' control and the European Firearms' Pass.

Norman Baker: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use in formulating policy her Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics since the introduction of that index in 2011; and what policies her Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that index since 2010.

Karen Bradley: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring National Wellbeing, not as an index but through a framework of 41 indicators which capture social progress around important aspects of life for individuals, communities and the nation. The statistics are experimental and as such we should not expect to have examples of major policies that have been heavily influenced by the well-being data at this stage. However, there is much work going on across government which is detailed in the evidence provided to the Environmental Audit Committee for its inquiry into well-being. This can be found at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/well-being/

Immigration Controls

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department gives on appropriate action to be taken by border staff dealing with a parent with a British passport entering the UK with their child who has a different surname.

James Brokenshire: Checks are conducted on passengers arriving in the UK in accordance with the Border Force Operating Mandate, regardless of nationality. Border Force staff also undergo mandatory training to ensure they are aware of their statutory duty to safeguard the welfare of children. Where a child is encountered at the border, and it is not immediately apparent that the accompanying adult is their parent or guardian, officers will ask questions to satisfy themselves of the child's welfare and to discharge their statutory duty. This will be done as quickly and as sensitively as possible to avoid unnecessary delay to the passengers' journey.

Immigration Controls

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions British passport holders were questioned on return to the UK in regard to problems with their child's name on documentation in the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Border Force does not record the occasions when British parents have been questioned about their child's name on their return to the United Kingdom.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 7 April 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee.

Karen Bradley: The Home Department has no record of receiving the correspondence referred to in this parliamentary question.

North Yorkshire Police

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue funding her Department has allocated to the North Yorkshire Police Authority in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each year since 1995-96.

Damian Green: Table 1 shows the amount of core Government revenue funding provided by the Home Office to the North Yorkshire police authority (from November 2012 the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire) since 1995-96.
	The figures in the table represent the amount of revenue funding provided by the Home Office to North Yorkshire. However, due to changes in police revenue funding over this time period (which include a move away from regional crime squads and a change in the way pensions are funded), it is difficult to compare spending power between years.
	From 2014-15, the Home Office is also paying out council tax freeze grant funding relating to the 2011-12 and 2013-14 schemes and local council tax support funding to Police and Crime Commissioners in England. This amount was previously paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). This will total £7.9 million for North Yorkshire in 2014-15 and is excluded from the table to assist comparison with previous years.
	In addition, the police in England also receive central Government grant from other sources including the DCLG. They also receive funding from the police precept component of council tax and a small amount of income from charging for additional services.
	
		
			 Total HO funding 
			  Cash1 Real (2012-13 prices)2 
			 1995-96 33.1 48.4 
			 1996-97 35.0 49.7 
			 1997-98 35.8 50.0 
			 1998-99 38.8 53.1 
			 1999-2000 38.9 52.3 
			 2000-01 41.3 55.1 
			 2001-02 45.1 58.7 
			 2002-03 46.2 58.6 
			 2003-04 50.1 62.4 
			 2004-05 51.6 62.5 
			 2005-06 53.9 64.1 
			 2006-07 48.8 56.5 
			 2007-08 50.6 57.1 
			 2008-09 52.0 57.1 
			 2009-10 53.4 57.1 
			 2010-11 53.8 56.0 
			 2011-12 50.3 51.2 
			 2012-13 47.3 47.3 
			 2013-143 76.5 75.0 
			 2014-153 72.8 69.9 
			 1 Figures include specific grants that have since been rolled into Police Main Grant (including Rule 2 Grant, the Neighbourhood Policing Fund and, from 2013-14, the Community Safety Fund) in order to provide consistency over the time period. 2 Real figures are calculated using the latest GDP deflators. These are updated and published regularly by Her Majesty’s Treasury and therefore can change the way that the real figures in the table are represented. 3 From 2013-14 formula grant funding which in previous years had been paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government was transferred to the Home Office to pay to PCCs. This amounted to £29.6 million in 2013-14 and £28.2 million in 2014-15.

North Yorkshire Police

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent police officers of each rank and grade were employed by North Yorkshire police on (a) 31 March and (b) 30 September in each year since 2004;
	(2)  how many full-time equivalent (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) police civilian staff were employed by North Yorkshire police on (i) 31 March and (ii) 30 September in each year since 2004.

Damian Green: The following table contains the requested data and covers the period up until 30 September 2013. Figures as at 31 March 2014 are due to be published 17 July 2014.
	
		
			 Number of full-time equivalent1 police officers by rank2, police community support officers and police staff3 employed by North Yorkshire police on 31 March and 30 September in each year from 2004-13 
			  Police officer   
			  ACPO Chief Superintendent Superintendent Chief Inspector Inspector Sergeant Constable Total Police Community Support Officer Police staff 
			 31 March 2004 4 8 15 15 76 241 1,175 1,534 52 864 
		
	
	
		
			 30 September 2004 4 6 14 14 71 264 1,174 1,547 47 892 
			 31 March 2005 4 7 14 17 77 246 1,195 1,561 75 928 
			 30 September 2005 4 7 15 17 77 260 1,196 1,576 70 946 
			 31 March 2006 4 7 15 22 88 271 1,246 1,653 71 1,039 
			 30 September 2006 4 9 13 18 91 292 1,227 1,654 85 1,090 
			 31 March 2007 3 6 16 15 87 283 1,260 1,671 147 1,128 
			 30 September 2007 4 5 17 11 99 307 1,180 1,623 186 1,131 
			 31 March 2008 4 6 12 12 85 284 1,178 1,581 180 1,079 
			 30 September 2008 3 6 11 14 85 278 1,118 1,515 178 1,070 
			 31 March 2009 4 6 10 16 83 269 1,072 1,460 173 1,095 
			 30 September 2009 3 6 12 18 85 262 1,083 1,468 185 1,138 
			 31 March 2010 4 5 10 16 83 250 1,118 1,486 198 1,158 
			 30 September 2010 4 4 10 16 85 207 1,126 1,452 187 1,153 
			 31 March 2011 3 6 10 18 76 241 1,104 1,458 182 1,048 
			 30 September 2011 3 6 10 17 72 236 1,089 1,432 179 918 
			 31 March 2012 3 4 14 17 73 230 1,061 1,402 186 919 
			 30 September 2012 3 4 10 18 73 238 1,049 1,394 179 913 
			 31 March 2013 3 4 10 19 71 226 1,037 1,370 173 939 
			 30 September 2013 5 3 11 19 69 239 1,028 1,374 174 945 
			 1 This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 2 Figures for police officers by rank as at 30 September are not regularly published; they have not been verified by police forces and should be treated as provisional. 3 This excludes designated officers and traffic wardens. Source: Home Office

North Yorkshire Police

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate was for North Yorkshire police force in each year since 2004-05.

Norman Baker: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	Most of this information was also published by the Home Office in its “Crimes Detected in England and Wales, 2012/13” bulletin. Overall detection rates are available in table 3 for all police forces from the year 2005/06 onwards.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224022/hosb0213-pfatabs.ods
	Detections have now been replaced by a new outcomes framework, which includes a broader range of “outcomes” for crimes dealt with by the police, and therefore provides greater transparency on how crimes are resolved. The former detections framework only covered a subset of the new outcomes and therefore of the ways crimes are “resolved”. Statistics for the year 2013/14 onwards will focus on the new outcomes framework, rather than detections.
	
		
			 Detection rates for offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire (excluding fraud) 
			  Overall detection rate (%) 
			 2004-05 34.3 
			 2005-06 34.9 
			 2006-07 32.3 
			 2007-08 32.9 
			 2008-09 30.4 
			 2009-10 31.1 
			 2010-11 30.8 
			 2011-12 32.1 
			 2012-13 30.2 
			 Notes: 1. The detection rates shown are calculated by dividing the total number of detections in each year by the total number of crimes in that year. However, the detections will not all refer to crimes committed in the year in question. 2. From 1 April 2007, new rules governing non-sanction detections significantly limited the occasions for which such administrative disposals can be applied. 3. Fraud offences are excluded because of the transition from police forces recording fraud to Action Fraud doing so. This transition took place during 2012/13, and so to allow a fair comparison over time, fraud offences and detections have been excluded for all years.

Passports

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional support she is providing to the Passport Office to ensure it continues to meet the deadlines for applications to be processed and returned during the holiday period.

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty’s Passport Office looks to ensure that adequate resources are in place to meet demand while ensuring that resources are proportionate to that demand. Contingencies are in place to coincide with peak periods of demand e.g. school breaks and summer holidays.
	This primarily involves staff working overtime but also includes, as required, the redeployment of resources to support passport application examination staff and to assist in the handling of customer contact.

Passports

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many passport renewals have been completed within the advertised three week turnaround time from receipt in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what performance indicators for the renewal of existing passports have been met by each passport office administrative centre.

James Brokenshire: Straightforward passport applications from applicants in the UK have a published expected turnaround of three weeks. For the financial year 2013-14, 99.58% of customers received their passports within that period.
	Achievement of turnaround times is a national objective and specific targets are not focused on individual offices. This approach allows HM Passport Office to channel resources and distribute applications to meet capacity.

Police

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 222W, on teachers: guidance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance her Department provides to police services as to whether or not to notify arrests to regulators.

Damian Green: The guidance to police services on the Notifiable Occupations Scheme is contained in “Home Office circular 6/2006 The notifiable occupations scheme: revised guidance for police forces”. This guidance is available on the Government website gov.uk.
	The scheme is currently under review.

Stop and Search

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her statement of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 831, on Stop-and-Search, which police forces have signed up to the revised code on stop-and-search to date.

Damian Green: The Home Office is currently in discussion with all police forces on the Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme. The scheme already has the backing of the Metropolitan police—the biggest user of stop and search in the country—and the intention is to launch the scheme in the summer.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Armed Conflict: Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is giving to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict for the campaign to eradicate the recruitment of children by government armed forces by 2016.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides funding of £150,000 over three years (January 2013-December 2015) to the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict. These funds strengthen the UN SRSG's capacity to monitor violations committed against children in situations of concern, in line with UNSC Resolutions 1612, 1882, 1998 on children and armed conflict and including countries covered by the UN SRSG's campaign, such as Burma and South Sudan.
	Children and Armed Conflict is an important personal priority. I am leading a campaign to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and to protect children from becoming victims of sexual violence in five priority countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad and Burma. I have raised the issue with a number of leaders, including most recently with the Somali President during a visit in April.
	The UN SRSG will take part in the End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit, from 10-13 June in London, where she will join a Ministerial roundtable that I am hosting on Children and Armed Conflict.

Ascension Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of living conditions and labour standards on commercial vessels long-lining in the waters of Ascension Island from 2010 to 2013.

Mark Simmonds: The Ascension Island Government are legally responsible for administering the marine fishery in the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Fishing Zone centred on the island.
	No assessment of living conditions and labour standards on commercial vessels carrying out licensed long-line fishing, or otherwise, in the waters of Ascension Island from 2010 to 2013 has been carried out. The primary responsibility for the setting and enforcement of such standards lies with the flag state of each vessel.
	The Ascension Island Government paused the issuing of licences for commercial long-line fishing from 1 January 2014 in order to undertake a full review of the management of its fisheries with a view to a new structure to be put in place by 2015. Revised conditions for licences will form part of that outcome.

Ascension Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he took to ensure that the foreign commercial vessels fishing in the waters of Ascension Island from 2010 to 2013 did not use slave labour.

Mark Simmonds: The Ascension Island Government are legally responsible for administering the marine fishery in the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Fishing Zone centred on the Island.
	There is no condition placed in the licences issued by the Ascension Island Government from 2010 to 2013 relating to slave labour. The primary responsibility for the setting and enforcement of standards on such matters lies with the flag state of each vessel.
	The Ascension Island Government paused the issuing of licences for commercial long-line fishing from 1 January 2014 in order to undertake a full review of the management of its fisheries with a view to a new structure to be put in place by 2015. Revised conditions for licences will form a part of that outcome.

Brazil

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Brazil on the issue of the recent increase in the number of disappeared persons in that country.

Hugo Swire: We have regular discussions on human rights with the Brazilian Government. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised this during his second visit to Brazil in February for the Strategic Dialogue. The UK also holds regular discussions of Human Rights and public security through the EU namely, initiatives, the Brazil-EU Human Rights Dialogue, the last of which was held on 25 April in Brasilia.

Brazil

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what extra consular assistance his Department will provide for British citizens in Brazil attending the World Cup.

Mark Simmonds: During the World Cup, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will have a comprehensive consular plan in place to assist any British nationals that require our assistance. This includes a consular operations centre in Rio de Janeiro on the day preceding, the day of and the day following all England games, a dedicated consular telephone number (which has been advertised on our travel advice and in the Football Supporters Federation’s tournament and match day programmes), a team of consular officers at every England game and consular officers from around the region and Portugal on stand-by to assist the Brazil network with any consular surges. We will also have a rapid deployment team from the Americas region on stand-by should they be required.
	In the build up to the World Cup, we have run a comprehensive travel advice campaign called “Be on the Ball” that has featured Twitter Q&A sessions, attendance at fans forums in London, media interviews in printed and video forms. We have also run a number of exercises across the Brazil network so that consular officials are prepared should we need to assist British nationals in the case of major incidents.
	I visited Sao Paulo on 4 June to view preparations which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is making to give consular assistance during the World Cup. I also met the deputy mayor of Sao Paulo to discuss the local preparations for the tournament.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also been working with the Football Association, UK Football Policing Unit, Brazilian local authorities and other stakeholders on contingency and crisis planning.

Central African Republic

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the conflict in Central African Republic as described in UN OCHA Central African Republic Situation Report No. 2.

Mark Simmonds: Reports from the Central African Republic (CAR), including those of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), show that the country remains beset by violence and instability. We welcome the vital ongoing work of African Union, French and EU security forces, without whom the situation would likely be far worse. The UK will continue to work with the UN to ensure the effective deployment of the UN Peacekeeping Operation (MINUSCA), and with the AU to support MISCA’s efforts ahead of the transition to MINUSCA. I last discussed the situation in CAR with interim President Catherine Samba-Panza on 23 May.

Diego Garcia

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reparations will be paid to HM Treasury as a result of damage caused by discharges in the Diego Garcia lagoon in the British Indian Overseas Territory by US vessels and those responsible for causing that damage are prosecuted.

Mark Simmonds: It is not clear what if any damage has been caused by the discharges by US vessels in the Diego Garcia lagoon, and the Government look forward to the conclusions of a joint UK-US study of the lagoon water and its coral which will conclude this summer. The US have already committed to spending several million dollars over 2014-16 to ensure that they comply with our no-discharge policy.

Diego Garcia

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department is making on ensuring that a British-led team of experts carries out a scientific assessment of discharges by US vessels in the Diego Garcia lagoon in the British Indian Overseas Territory.

Mark Simmonds: The joint UK-US study of the lagoon water and its coral, which began in January 2014, is well under way and due to conclude this summer, as planned.

Diego Garcia

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the findings from the US Senate Intelligence Committee, what information his Department holds on the number of detainees held in Diego Garcia.

Hugh Robertson: There are no detainees on Diego Garcia and the British Government is aware of no evidence that US detainees have been held on Diego Garcia since September 2001. The findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee remain classified and we have not seen them.

Eritrea

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the release of political prisoners in Eritrea with his Eritrean counterpart.

Mark Simmonds: We remain deeply concerned at the continued arbitrary detention of political prisoners in Eritrea, including some detained without trial since September 2001. Our ambassador in Asmara and EU counterparts regularly raise this with the Eritrean Government, calling for their release. I have raised human rights issues with the Foreign Minister and, most recently, FCO officials raised the issue with the Eritrean ambassador in March 2014. We will continue to do so at every opportunity.

Middle East

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the Middle East peace process of recent reports that Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said his organisation will not renounce violence or recognise Israel.

Hugh Robertson: Reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under a Palestinian Authority committed to peace with Israel is a necessary step towards resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a key element of a viable negotiated solution. We welcome the formation on 2 June of a new interim technocratic government for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We have made clear that our continued support to the new Palestinian Government will rest on their commitment to the principle of non-violence, a negotiated two state solution, and an acceptance of all previous agreements and obligations, including Israel’s legitimate right to exist. We now look to the new government to demonstrate these commitments through its actions as well as its words.

Morocco

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the new protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement will benefit the Saharawi population or Moroccan settlers.

Hugh Robertson: The protocol requires Morocco to provide regular and detailed reports on the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure as well as the impact on jobs and investments. Since the protocol has not yet entered into force this reporting has not yet begun.

Nigeria

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Nigerian counterpart on the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed the abduction of the schoolgirls with FM Wali on 18 April, and attended a Summit in Paris on 17 May with the Nigerian President, which was specially convened to discuss this issue. I discussed the abduction with President Jonathan and Defence Minister Gusau during my visit to Nigeria on 14 May. During that visit we agreed the package of support the British Government would offer to help find the girls, as well as to help tackle Boko Haram’s wider activities. Foreign Minister Wali and I have been in contact since then on the subject of Boko Haram. I look forward to further detailed conversations with him and representatives from Nigeria’s neighbours, the US, Canada, France, EU, UN and AU at this week’s ministerial meeting on security in northern Nigeria.

Nigeria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made by UK forces in the search for the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Mark Simmonds: The UK is working with the US, France, Nigeria, its neighbours and international partners to provide advice and assistance to the Nigerian Government to help them secure the safe release of the schoolgirls and defeat Boko Haram. Our Sentinel aircraft, as part of a number of allied surveillance assets, continues to conduct over-flights of Nigeria and a team of UK experts is working alongside US and French counterparts in Nigeria in the Intelligence Fusion Cell to assist the Nigerians in locating the abducted students. I look forward to taking further stock of this activity, and wider work to tackle Boko Haram, with Foreign Minister Wali and representatives from Nigeria’s neighbours, the US, France, Canada, UN, AU and EU at this week’s ministerial meeting on security in northern Nigeria.

Palestinians

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the killing of two Palestinian teenagers at Ofer on 15 May 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv raised the use of lethal force in this case with both the Israel Defence Force and the Israeli Border Police on 16 May.
	On 21 May, the local EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah issued a local statement expressing deep concern about the deaths of two Palestinian youths on 15 May in the West Bank and emphasising the importance of such incidents being investigated thoroughly. They reiterated the need for security forces, whether Israeli or Palestinian, to refrain from the use of lethal force, except in cases where there is a real and imminent threat to life.

Thailand

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what co-operation programmes between the UK and Thailand there are; and what steps he has taken to review that co-operation.

Hugo Swire: The UK and Thailand have strong bilateral ties which are exemplified by a range of activities and programmes across the political, commercial, and cultural spectrum, for example, strong trading and tourism links. We want our bilateral relationship to prosper, but in view of the rapid and serious deterioration of the democratic environment, we are reviewing the scope of our co-operation with Thailand. We are particularly concerned by restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, and by the large number of arbitrary detentions we have seen since the coup was announced.

Tibet

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on human rights abuses in Tibet.

Hugo Swire: Our concerns are highlighted in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy:
	www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk
	the latest edition of which was published on 10 April. We last raised Tibet at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 20 May, where we covered concerns about ethnic minority rights, as well as the criminalisation of self-immolation.

Tibet

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from (a) the Tibetan Government in exile and (b) human rights charities on human rights abuses in that country.

Hugo Swire: Officials regularly meet with human rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to discuss the situation in Tibet. They last did so in May, following the UK-China Human Rights dialogue. I will be meeting with representatives from a number of Tibet NGOs later this month.
	We also receive occasional updates from the Central Tibetan Administration, also known as the Tibetan Government in exile. We believe that meaningful dialogue is the best way to address and resolve the underlying grievances of the Tibetan communities and we continue to urge all sides to restart talks.

Tibet

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce human rights abuses in Tibet and to offer support for victims of such abuses.

Hugo Swire: We remain concerned about the situation in Tibet.
	We regularly discuss our concerns on Tibet with the Chinese authorities, most recently through the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 19-20 May 2014 where we covered concerns about ethnic minority rights, as well as the criminalisation of self immolation. Our concerns are also highlighted in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, the latest edition of which was published on 10 April.

Tibet

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on Tibetan independence.

Hugo Swire: Our position on Tibet is clear and unchanged. As the Prime Minister outlined in Parliament on 8 May 2013, we regard Tibet as part of the People's Republic of China. We believe that long-term stability in Tibet will best be achieved through respect for universal human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the Chinese constitution.

United Arab Emirates

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in the United Arab Emirates on the alleged torture of UK citizens in UAE prisons.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes allegations of mistreatment of any British national overseas extremely seriously. With the permission of an individual, we will always formally raise these with the host Government. We have raised our concerns on a number of specific cases in the UAE and will continue to use the Ministerial Taskforce and other opportunities to raise consular issues when necessary, including those relating to British Nationals in detention.

United Arab Emirates

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of the United Arab Emirates to ensure that Ahmad Zeidan is given his full legal rights and protections whilst in the custody of that government.

Hugh Robertson: It would not be appropriate for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss the details of an individual case. However, consular officials have provided full consular assistance to Mr Zeidan since we were informed of his detention and will continue to do so. In any case where we have concerns about the welfare or human rights of a British National, with their permission, we will raise these.

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on how the ongoing conflict in Western Sahara affects the ability of terrorist and criminal gangs to recruit disaffected youth in the refugee camps or the occupied territory.

Hugh Robertson: We monitor the security situation in the region from a number of sources. We are aware of frustration in both Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps at the lack of progress in the political process and at the socio-economic conditions in the camps. However, we are not aware of any evidence to suggest increased radicalisation of Sahrawi youth by terrorist or criminal gangs.

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 515W, on Western Sahara, if the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa will also meet representatives of POLISARIO, the UN-recognised body, to discuss issues relating to Western Sahara.

Hugh Robertson: British Ministers do not have direct contact with the POLISARIO Front. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Officials in London regularly meet POLISARIO representatives to discuss Western Sahara. FCO Officials also undertake visits to the region, and to the refugee camps at Tindouf.

Western Sahara

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of how the ongoing conflict in Western Sahara affects the ability of al-Qaeda to recruit disaffected youth in Western Sahara.

Hugh Robertson: We monitor the security situation in the region from a number of sources. We are aware of frustration in both Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps at the lack of progress in the political process and at the socio-economic conditions in the camps. However, we are not aware of any evidence to suggest increased radicalisation of Sahrawi youth by terrorist or criminal gangs.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts and discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with the African National Congress regarding a possible successor to President Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

Mark Simmonds: We have regular dialogue with South Africa on a range of issues, including regional interests, at both ministerial and official level. The issue of political transition and that of successors to President Mugabe is a matter for the Zimbabwean people in line with the constitution of Zimbabwe. The UK remains keen to see a Zimbabwean Government that delivers for its people and we will continue to do all we can to support a more democratic, stable and prosperous Zimbabwe.

HEALTH

A and E Visits

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of patients visiting A and E departments after having been unable to make an appointment with their GP.

Jane Ellison: There are over 300 million consultations in general practice each year. The latest general practitioner (GP) patient survey results show that less than 2% of patients attended a walk-in centre or accident and emergency department because they were unable to get a convenient appointment with their GP at their practice.

Primary Care

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to improve access to and standards of primary care.

Jeremy Hunt: The Government recently outlined its ambitions in ‘Transforming Primary Care’. We have invested £50 million to improve access and made changes to the general practitioner (GP) contract to help ensure that patients aged over 75 and those with the most complex needs receive more personalised and proactive care.
	We have also appointed a new Chief Inspector of General Practice, and the Care Quality Commission is inspecting standards in GP practices and taking strong action wherever they find poor care.

Health Allocation Formula

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on improving the fairness of the health allocation formula.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England now has responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocations. These decisions have been taken independently of Government.
	Between 2013-14 and 2015-16, Warrington CCG will receive a 7% increase in funding which is a £16.1 million uplift. The national average in this period is a 4.7% increase, which if it had been applied to Warrington would have given them £10.8 million, meaning they are £5.3 million better off than average.

Drug Dispensing Regulations

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on patient safety of prescription drug dispensing regulations.

Daniel Poulter: There are robust arrangements in place to maintain patient safety in the dispensing of prescription medicines through medicines legislation, national health service pharmaceutical services regulations and professional regulation. These arrangements are kept under review and changes made as necessary.

Failing Hospitals

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made in turning around failing hospitals.

Jeremy Hunt: Through the use of special measures, the Care Quality Commission, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority are making considerable progress at turning around failing hospitals.
	Across the trusts now in the regime, there are over 1,200 new nurses and nursing assistants, as well as 118 more doctors.
	I am delighted that Basildon yesterday became the first trust to exit special measures. This is clear proof that our tough action to turn these hospitals around is working.

Healthier Together Review: Greater Manchester

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the Healthier Together review of health and care in Greater Manchester.

Jane Ellison: The reconfiguration of local health services is a matter for the local national health service.
	The Greater Manchester health economy is working to design services to improve quality and sustainability, and ensure improved outcomes for patients.
	Where major service change is proposed, we expect this to be subject to full public consultation.

Maternity and Early-years Care

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made in improving maternity and early-years care.

Daniel Poulter: We have made improving maternity services a key objective in our Mandate to NHS England. Over the past two years we have also invested £35 million of capital funding to improve the physical environment of over 140 maternity units.
	We have increased the numbers of midwives and health visitors. There are 1,700 more midwives and over 2,000 more health visitors than in 2010. In addition, there are more than 6,000 midwifery students in training. And we are committed to having an extra 4,200 health visitors by 2015.
	We are expanding the Family Nurse Partnership programme-which provides dedicated one to one support to young, at risk first time mothers-to 16,000 places by 2015.
	We launched the NHS Start4life Information Service for Parents, a digital service for parent-to-be and new parents in May 2012. Take up has already exceeded the sign-up target of 300,000 parents by 2015-as of 1 June over 339,000 parents had signed up to the service.

Small Rural Hospitals

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department provides to small rural hospitals in England to ensure that health services are available as close to the public as possible.

Norman Lamb: Responsibility for the commissioning of local NHS services lies with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Small rural and community hospitals have a key role in contributing to more integrated care through better out-of-hospital care at local level for frail older people and people with long-term conditions.

Mental Health Care: Greater Manchester

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average length of time between diagnosis of a mental health condition and the commencement of talking therapies in the Greater Manchester area.

Norman Lamb: By March 2015, we expect measurable progress towards achieving true parity of esteem, where everyone who needs it has timely access to evidence based services. This includes extending access to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme to children and young people and those out of work.

Academic Health Science Networks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the running costs for each of the academic health science networks are.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not available.
	NHS England advises us that individual funding levels and programme costs vary between Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs). NHS England budget allocations are not their sole source of income and AHSNs are seeking to supplement this funding through participation in strategic investment programmes and match-funding initiatives. Core running costs are for AHSNs to determine independently and may also be subject to change through the year.
	Further information on AHSN work programmes and business plans can be found on their websites:
	
		
			 AHSN Website 
			 East Midlands www.emahsn.ac.uk 
			 Eastern www.eahsn.org.uk 
			 Imperial College Health Partners www.imperialcollegehealthpartners.com 
			 Greater Manchester www.gmahsn.org 
			 Kent, Surrey and Sussex www.kssahsn.net 
			 North East and North Cumbria www.ahsn-nenc.org.uk 
			 North West Coast www.nwcahsn.nhs.uk 
			 Oxford www.oxfordahsn.org 
			 South London www.kingshealthpartners.org/info/southlondonahsn 
			 South West Peninsula www.swahsn.com 
			 UCL Partners www.uclpartners.com 
			 Wessex www.wessexahsn.org 
			 West Midlands www.wmahsn.org 
			 West of England www.weahsn.net 
			 Yorkshire and Humber www.yhahsn.org.uk

Ambulance Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve ambulance services.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is working with Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority to improve performance in 2014-15, this includes a workstream looking at best practice.
	However, this Government also want to tackle the root causes of the increasing demand on urgent and emergency care services.
	That is why the Urgent and Emergency Care review, led by Sir Bruce Keogh, is currently considering whole system change to the delivery of urgent and emergency care, including new models of delivery of care for ambulance services, such as:
	general practitioner and other clinical support/advice in control rooms and to crews on the ground and how it can reduce conveyance rates (particularly for frail and elderly, mental health, and children) and;
	prevention work available to the Ambulance Service: early diagnosis and risk management.
	In addition, as part of the review, NHS England is working closely with stakeholders (including the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives) to ensure that ambulance services can be further developed and commissioned as a treatment as well as a transport service.
	As part of this work, an Ambulance Task Group has been set up and is working with Health Education England to reform the training and careers framework for paramedics-to involve developing a skilled set of advanced practitioners in the Ambulance Service to deliver care closer to home using hear & treat and see & treat models.
	The first phase of the review was published last November. We expect NHS England to be publishing further reports later this year.

Back Pain

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the potential for exercise to reduce the need for patients to have back surgery.

Norman Lamb: There is evidence that physical activity can alleviate lower back pain and can benefit musculoskeletal health. However, there have been no specific discussions between Department of Health Ministers and NHS England on the potential for exercise to reduce the need for patients to have back surgery.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that a structured exercise programme, tailored to the person, be offered as a treatment option for early management of persistent, non-specific back pain.
	Public Health England is working with partners, including the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, Arthritis Research UK and the business sector to encourage better prevention and management of back pain, particularly through the promotion of physical activity.

Clinical Trials

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are taken to verify the competence of (a) doctors and nurses and (b) staff of pharmaceutical companies involved in the conduct of clinical trials.

Daniel Poulter: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) expect everyone involved in a clinical trial to be qualified and trained to perform their tasks (as per Schedule 1, part 2 (2) of the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations(SI 2004/1031).
	Staff of pharmaceutical companies are not “conducting” a trial as defined in the clinical trial regulation (SI 2004/1031 Reg 2 “interpretation”). However, the same Good Clinical Practice principles apply to those involved in clinical trial activities; i.e. they should be qualified and trained to perform their tasks. At sponsor site inspection, inspectors will verify the training records, CV, and job description of selected employees to confirm adequate training has been given.
	Sponsors are expected to carry out checks in audits or monitoring to ensure that on completion of training, staff are indeed carrying out their duties according to requirements and/or procedures (these checks should be documented in monitoring/audit reports). Inspectors check the monitoring visit reports to determine non-compliances are adequately followed up and re-training is given to site personnel when necessary.
	The voluntary MHRA Phase 1 Accreditation Scheme requires that a Principal Investigator (PI) for a First in Human study has relevant experience and a post graduate qualification in pharmaceutical medicine (such as a Diploma in Pharmaceutical medicine, Diploma in Human Pharmacology, MSc in Clinical Pharmacology or equivalent). An exemption to this requirement has been issued for PI's that do not have a post graduate qualification but are able to demonstrate that they have a significant amount of experience in this field (and are often involved in teaching the post-graduate courses). An application for an exemption is assessed independently by the Faculty of Medicine.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

Norman Lamb: The Department has worked closely with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the development of the Measuring National Wellbeing Framework. Given the experimental nature of the data it is too early to use it specifically to formulate policy. However, some examples of relevant work taken forward by the Department include:
	working in partnership with ONS to include a measure of mental wellbeing into the Measuring National Wellbeing Framework;
	including wellbeing questions on a range of health surveys, for example the Health Survey for England, Health Behaviours of School-aged Children, the trial of a local level survey of 15-year-olds, and the current wave of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey;
	including wellbeing as a key indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework;
	publishing a narrative and a series of factsheets on why wellbeing matters to health policy;
	publishing a report on the predictors of wellbeing across the lifecourse;
	conducting two wellbeing workshops with policy makers to allow them to consider their policies from a wellbeing perspective; and
	co-founding a collaborative studentship with the University of Warwick on positive genetics using twin data to explore how genetics are related to wellbeing.
	Wellbeing will also be considered in the forthcoming chief medical officer's annual report.

Health Services: Complaints

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to raise awareness among service users of how to navigate the complaints systems in health and social care;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to implement improvements in health and social are services arising from complaints and feedback made by service users.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is working with partners across the health and care system to make improvements to complaints handling. This includes Healthwatch England working to improve the information and advice that people receive when they need support to raise a concern or make a complaint. It also includes working with the Care Quality Commission as they develop their inspection methodology across health and social care so it places greater emphasis on listening to, and learning from, complaints as well as other sources of patient feedback. A single legislative framework exists for complaints handling to ensure consistency across the health and social care system.

Health Services: Ombudsman

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning health services in regulatory bodies and ombudsman services;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to simplify ombudsman services in health and social care;
	(3)  if he will make an assessment on the potential merits of merging health and social care ombudsman services in England.

Daniel Poulter: The Government are considering reports of the Public Administration Select Committee into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this inquiry, the Cabinet Office is undertaking work to further investigate how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the public sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to these reports in due course.

Hospitals: Television

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent meetings he has had with NHS England on the contracting of provision of television services in hospitals.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health has not had any recent meetings with NHS England on the contracting of the provision of television services in hospitals.

Human Papillomavirus

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the potential cost of extending the human papilloma virus vaccination programme to include all boys aged 12 and 13 years.

Jane Ellison: We have not made any estimate of extending the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme to include boys aged 12 and 13 years, as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has not yet completed its consideration of whether HPV vaccine should be offered to males.

Mental Health Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the oral answer of 1 April 2014, Official Report, column 714, on physical and mental health (parity of esteem), in what ways he plans to achieve complete transparency in the availability of data on mental health spending.

Norman Lamb: NHS England currently collects and publishes information about mental health spending via its Programme Budgeting Dataset and published expenditure data for 2012-13 on 21 February 2014. This is available on its website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/prog-budgeting/
	We are working with NHS England to support its plans to develop this dataset for 2013-14 to provide a more meaningful analysis of expenditure.

Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 21 November 2012, Official Report, columns 511-2W, on death, what the prevalence of adults living in private households in England having at least one psychiatric condition was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: The answer of 21 November 2012, Official Report, columns 511-12W, contains the latest data. The following table shows the estimated prevalence of adults living in private households in England having at least one psychiatric condition1.
	
		
			 Age range Adults meeting the criteria for, or screening positive for, one or more psychiatric condition 1, 2 
			 16-24 32.3 
			 25-34 30.0 
			 35-44 22.9 
			 45-54 25.0 
			 55-64 18.7 
			 65-74 12.7 
			 75+ 10.5 
			 Percentage all 23.0 
			 1 'Psychiatric conditions' include the most common mental disorders (namely anxiety and depressive disorders) as well as: psychotic disorder; antisocial and borderline personality disorders; eating disorder; posttraumatic stress disorder; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; alcohol and drug dependency; and problem behaviours such as problem gambling and suicide attempts. These are defined according to different classification criteria and refer to a variety of different, reference periods, as detailed in the background information provided. Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder was defined following the exclusion of other common mental disorders. 2 Figures above were calculated by subtracting the prevalence of adults with no psychiatric condition from 100. Note: This table is an excerpt from Table 12.1 in Chapter 12 (Co-morbidity) of the APMS 2007 report: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/psychiatricmorbidity07 Source: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity (APMS) Survey 2007. 
		
	
	The Department has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Leicester to undertake the 2014 Adult Psychological Morbidity Survey.

Motor Neurone Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people diagnosed with motor neurone disease there have been in the UK in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people with motor neurone disease have been treated by the NHS with iGaze technology in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: Data on the number of people diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) is not collected. However, it is estimated that there are about 5,000 people living with MND in the United Kingdom.
	Information regarding the number of people with MND who are using 'eye gaze' technology, a type of specialised augmentative and assistive communication aid, is not held centrally.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the UK with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not hold data on an annual basis of the numbers of people with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder. The Department has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Leicester to undertake the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.
	The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in 2007 found that 1.3% of people aged 16-64 living in England reported that they had obsessive compulsive disorder.

Pregnant Women: Alcoholic Drinks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's assessment is of the effectiveness of warning labels on alcoholic beverages regarding drinking during pregnancy; and what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of making such labels mandatory.

Jane Ellison: Research in the evidence around the effectiveness of alcohol harm reduction communications and related campaigns suggests that labelling and point of sale information can have an impact on consumption, in conjunction with broader campaigns to raise consumer awareness and education on the health risks linked to alcohol consumption.
	As part of the Public Health Responsibility Deal, alcohol retailers and producers have committed to putting an agreed warning or a pregnancy warning logo on 80% of labels on bottles and cans by the end of 2013. An independent market survey is underway to measure compliance. This level of coverage should allow the majority of consumers to see the pregnancy warning and logo.

Prostate Cancer

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the changes in the level of access to prostate cancer treatments since 2010;
	(2)  what treatments for prostate cancer are routinely funded by NHS England;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of outcomes for men with advanced prostate cancer.

Jane Ellison: The NHS England Specialised Commissioning team introduced nationally developed service specifications for a range of areas, including prostate cancer, during 2013-14. Prior to 2013, prostate cancer was routinely commissioned by primary care trusts, and as such, an assessment of the changes in the level of access to prostate cancer treatments since 2010 is not technically feasible.
	Routinely commissioned treatments for prostate cancer are: (i) radical prostatectomy; (ii) radical external beam radiotherapy; and (iii) radical brachytherapy. In addition, NHS England routinely commissions systemic treatments for prostate cancer, including hormone therapy and chemotherapy.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published technology appraisal guidance which recommends docetaxel (Taxotere) for hormone-refractory prostate cancer and abiraterone (Zytiga), in combination with prednisolone or prednisone, for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with one docetaxel-containing regimen. NICE is also currently developing technology appraisal guidance on a number of other drugs for prostate cancer.
	National health service commissioners are legally required by regulations to fund those treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.
	Five-year survival rates improved from around 42% in the late 1980s to 79.7% in 2007 (currently 80.2% according to data for 2006-10 published in October 2012) due in part to the effects of increased Prostate Specific Antigen testing and earlier detection. However, survival rates in England are still lagging behind comparable countries in Europe.
	Cancer Research UK has estimated that men with advanced, incurable prostate cancer treated in trials or under drug access schemes at the Royal Marsden hospital survived on average 41 months, compared to between 13 and 16 months, 10 years ago.
	The Government’s Mandate to NHS England sets out an ambition to make England one of the most successful countries in Europe at preventing premature deaths from all cancers, including prostate cancer. Cancer indicators in the NHS outcomes framework and the public health outcomes framework will help NHS England to assess progress in improving cancer survival and mortality for men with prostate cancer.

Social Services

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the annual cost to the public purse is of processing applications for free social care in England;
	(2)  how many applications for free social care were (a) approved and (b) rejected in England in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013;
	(3)  what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of administering the social care means test in England.

Norman Lamb: Access to State financial support for adult social care in England is means-tested and is not generally provided free of charge. In this way, individuals are expected to pay towards the cost of their care and support based on what they can afford.
	Adults with less than £23,250 in capital can seek help with the cost of social care from their local authority. Local authorities carry out a financial assessment to decide what an individual can afford to pay. Local authorities must take account of an individual’s capital assets and income, including income from benefits and the state pension.
	Information on the cost to local authorities of carrying out financial assessments is not collected centrally.
	In its 2011 report, the independent Palliative Care Funding Review recommended the provision of free social care at the end of life. A series of palliative care funding pilots were established to test the review’s recommendations, and these completed their work in March 2014. NHS England is currently analysing the financial data collected from the pilots. Once this analysis has been completed, a decision will be made on the issue of free social care at the end of life, taking into account this analysis and wider policy and financial considerations.

Social Services

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many appeals were made by applicants for social care at the end of their life in the last two years; how many such appeals were successful; and what proportion of total appeals against decisions about social care such appeals represent;
	(2)  how many people in England in receipt of free social care are terminally ill.

Norman Lamb: Local authorities have a duty to assess the needs of any person for whom the authority may arrange social care and who may be in need of such care. They have a further duty to decide, having regard to the results of the assessment, what, if any, care and support they should provide to meet the individual’s needs. Where a local authority decides to arrange care and support it will carry out a financial assessment to decide what an individual can afford to contribute towards the cost. Appeals against decisions by local authorities are considered locally. Information about appeals is not collected centrally.
	In its 2011 report, the independent Palliative Care Funding Review recommended the provision of free social care at the end of life. A series of palliative care funding pilots were established to test the review’s recommendations, and these completed their work in March 2014. NHS England is currently analysing the financial data collected from the pilots. Once this analysis has been completed, a decision will be made on the issue of free social care at the end of life, taking into account this analysis and wider policy and financial considerations.

Sunbeds

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government plans to respond to the recommendations set out in the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin on sunbed regulation published in 2014.

Jane Ellison: The Government have noted the report and is currently considering how to respond to the recommendations.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

British Irish Council

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last attended a meeting of the British-Irish Council summit.

Nicholas Clegg: I attended the British-Irish Council summit held in Derry/Londonderry on 21 June 2013.

Elections: Tower Hamlets

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the Electoral Commission's efforts to improve the conduct of elections in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Greg Clark: The integrity of our elections is central to our democracy.
	I am aware that the Electoral Commission is investigating allegations of electoral misconduct in Tower Hamlets at the recent local elections and the Metropolitan police are conducting a number of criminal investigations. I have written to the chair of the Electoral Commission, stressing the importance of ensuring public confidence in the electoral process.
	Given the gravity of the allegations it is important that the Electoral Commission provides a robust assessment of what went on in Tower Hamlets and includes firm recommendations of how to ensure the integrity of future elections.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with (a) church and community leaders from black and minority ethnic communities and (b) Operation Black Vote on increasing registration levels for voters in those communities.

Greg Clark: I met recently with Operation Black Vote to discuss the importance of electoral registration.
	The Government are keen to work with groups and organisations to support and raise the profile of the importance of voter registration among all communities.

Northern Ireland Government

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings he has had with (a) the First Minister, (b) the Deputy First Minister and (c) both the First and Deputy First Ministers of Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Nicholas Clegg: There are many meetings involving the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive which I attend, including meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee and the British-Irish Council.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 19W, on electoral register, with which civic society organisations the Electoral Commission is proactively seeking partnership for the purpose of increasing electoral registration.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it is seeking to establish new partnerships and ways of working with a wide range of organisations to help ensure voters are aware of what they need to do under the new system of individual electoral registration.
	In addition to the partnerships it is currently finalising, the Commission will continue seeking to establish new partnerships up to, and beyond, the next UK parliamentary general election in 2015 to achieve this. As partnerships are finalised, they will be highlighted on the Commission’s website and we will make Members aware of where they can find this information when the first batch of information is published online.

Electoral Register: North West

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent conformation dry run conducted in the (a) Makerfield constituency and (b) Borough of Wigan.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.
	Results for all wards are available on the Commission’s website here:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls
	The ward results for Makerfield were as follows:
	
		
			 Ward Green matches Amber matches Red matches 
			 Abram 9,207 174 1,688 
			 Ashton 7,982 106 1,131 
			 Bryn 8,197 92 1,035 
			 Hindley 8,674 124 1,358 
			 Hindley Green 7,593 109 1,046 
			 Orrell 8,208 129 1,194 
			 Winstanley 8,003 66 922 
			 Worsley Mesnes 8,006 104 1,087 
		
	
	The ward results for borough of Wigan were as follows:
	
		
			 Ward Green matches Amber matches Red matches 
			 Abram 9,207 174 1,688 
			 Ashton 7,982 106 1,131 
			 Aspull New Springs Whelley 8,870 172 1,352 
			 Astley Mosley Common 8,168 146 1,253 
			 Atherleigh 7,257 141 1,421 
			 Atherton 9,641 144 1,647 
			 Bryn 8,197 92 1,035 
			 Douglas 8,241 130 1,652 
			 Golborne and Lowton West 7,788 109 1,305 
			 Hindley 8,674 124 1,358 
			 Hindley Green 7,593 109 1,046 
			 Ince 7,755 127 1,487 
			 Leigh East 7,867 199 1,471 
			 Leigh South 9,116 142 1,484 
			 Leigh West 9,200 171 1,851 
			 Lowton East 8,630 97 1,182 
			 Orrell 8,208 129 1,194 
			 Pemberton 8,515 167 1,460 
			 Shevington with Lower Ground 8,217 100 1,081 
		
	
	
		
			 Standish with Langtree 8,594 131 1,166 
			 Tyldesley 8,901 114 1,548 
			 Wigan Central 7,776 180 1,563 
			 Wigan West 8,599 146 1,488 
			 Winstanley 8,003 66 922 
			 Worsley Mesnes 8,006 104 1,087

European Parliament Elections

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what (a) number and (b) proportion of voters voted (i) at a polling station and (ii) by postal ballot in each European parliamentary constituency in each such election since 1984.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission was formed in 2000 and as a result it only holds information from the 2004 European parliamentary elections onwards. It has placed the data it holds in the Library.
	The full datasets for the 2014 European parliamentary elections will be available at the end of August.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what (a) number and (b) proportion of voters voted (i) at a polling station and (ii) by postal ballot in each police authority area in the 2012 Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission has placed the answer to the hon. Member’s question in the Library.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission follows in determining whether statistics in answers to parliamentary questions are (a) provided in full, (b) provided via a link to a website and (c) placed in the Library.

Gary Streeter: Wherever possible, when responding to parliamentary questions for statistical data, the Electoral Commission aims to provide information that has not been previously published in full and in line with the Official Report’s rules on the presentation of answers.
	Where information has previously been published, such as in response to a previous parliamentary question or within one of the commission’s reports, it takes a view on whether it republishes the information or provides a link to where it is already published, on a case by case basis taking into account whether, for example, it would be helpful for it to be seen in its full context. Consideration of whether information is deposited in the Library includes whether the answer is longer than four pages and does not already exist in a consolidated format on a website.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Animal Experiments

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) cats, (b) dogs and (c) horses were rehomed after their release from laboratories following research in 2012.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Home Office does not hold the information requested.
	Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, authority may be given to re-home animals where those animals were bred or held for supply for use in regulated procedures, or were intended for use in regulated procedures, or have been used in regulated procedures. This may also apply to animals which are being kept under the care of the Named Veterinary Surgeon after completing procedures, and is always contingent on our acceptance of certain reassurances relating to Section 17A of the Act. Records of each animal re-homed would be kept locally at the licensed establishment so that they can be available to Home Office Inspectors on request.
	European Directive 2010/63/EU, which was implemented in the UK and other member states on 1 January 2013, does not provide legal grounds on which the UK can impose a mandatory obligation of re-homing under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Nevertheless, we have provided guidance on re-homing animals in our Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1983, section 5.21.

Special Educational Needs

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what specialist one-to-one study skills support will be available for students with specific learning difficulties following the review of the disabled students allowance; and who will provide that support.

David Willetts: Discussions are under way with stakeholders, including those who specialise in supporting students with specific learning difficulties. This will help determine how specialist one-to-one support will be delivered in the future and where the responsibility for funding such support will fall.
	I will not make a final decision on this matter until I have considered the necessary Equality Analysis, which is in preparation, and will take account of any relevant evidence provided by stakeholders.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Staff

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of (a) staff and (b) senior staff in her Department are female.

Theresa Villiers: As of April 2014, 51% of staff in my Department, and 12.5% of the senior civil servants in my Department, are female.

Staff

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff were employed in her Department on 1 January 2014.

Theresa Villiers: As of 1 January 2014, my Department employed 158 permanent members of staff made up of Home civil servants and Northern Ireland civil servants seconded to the NIO.
	One member of staff was employed on a temporary basis and in addition three part-time members of staff engaged on an annual contract.

DEFENCE

BAE Systems

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the disposal cost for BAE System's Woodford site.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has made no estimate for the disposal cost for the Woodford site; it is a matter for BAE Systems.

ICT

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies have registered an interest in the contract for the JAMES requirement.

Philip Dunne: The current contract for the Joint Asset Management Engineering Solution (JAMES) was let on 1 July 2004. A restricted competition is currently underway to provide JAMES capability from expiry on 31 December 2015.
	I am withholding information on those companies which have registered an interest as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times aircraft have been intercepted by Quick Reaction Alert flights by (a) intercepted aircraft type and (b) location in each of the last three years.

Mark Francois: The number of days on which Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft have launched to intercept aircraft in each of the last three years is contained in the following table. Not every launch resulted in an interception as some incidents were resolved prior to interception.
	
		
			  Number of days QRA was launched 
			 2011 20 
			 2012 21 
			 2013 17 
		
	
	I am withholding full details of the number of interceptions, aircraft type and locations as deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what analysis has been carried out by the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston into the effects on (a) human beings, (b) other animals and (c) the wider environment of the use of a nuclear warhead in the UK nuclear arsenal.

Philip Dunne: The effects of the use of a UK nuclear warhead are underpinned by modelling and analysis. The effects are dependent on a wide range of variable factors including:
	the yield and design of the weapon;
	the accuracy of the delivery system;
	the nature and construction of the target;
	the geographical characteristics of the surrounding terrain;
	geological conditions in the target area;
	the height of weapon burst; and
	the weather conditions at the target.

Radioactive Waste: Fife

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will visit Dalgety Bay to discuss the time taken to clean up radiation contamination there;
	(2)  when he was first made aware of health risks at Dalgety Bay;
	(3)  if he will publish the advice received by his Department on health risks of the radiation contamination at Dalgety Bay.

Mark Francois: In 2006 the then Health Protection Agency (HPA) Radiological Protection Authority advised that radioactive contamination on Dalgety Bay presented a low risk to the public. A more recent scoping risk assessment undertaken in 2011 by the HPA Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards at the bequest of the Scottish Government concluded that the risk to health was very low.
	The view of the Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (now part of Public Health England) remains unchanged. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is completing a detailed quantitative risk assessment to inform the longer term management strategy which will be available in due course.
	Copies of the advice received by MOD together with a copy of the more detailed risk assessment, when published, will be placed in the Library of the House.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions a foreign-requested aircraft has provided search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters in each of the last three years; what role each such aircraft played; what the location of each incident was; and whether each occurrence was in response to obligations under Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answers previously given to him on 22 November 2013, Official Report, column 1046W and 27 March 2012 Official Report, column 1054W.
	Between 4 November 2013 and 5 June 2014 there have been five occasions where an Irish helicopter was requested by the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre to provide search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters. Four of these were in Northern Ireland. These were in response to obligations under Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Details of the five incidents are shown as follows:
	
		
			 Date Aircraft Aircraft role Location 
			 15 November 2013 Irish Coastguard Helicopter Ditched Aircraft Enniskillen, Northern Ireland 
			 12 February 2014 Irish Coastguard Helicopter Topcover for lifeboat Mull of Kintyre, Scotland 
			 16 February 2014 Irish Coastguard Helicopter Individual with knee injury Binnian, Northern Ireland 
			 21 March 2014 Irish Coastguard Helicopter Individual with hip injury Rathlin island, Northern Ireland 
			 16 May 2014 Irish Coastguard Helicopter Capsized individual Enniskillen, Northern Ireland 
		
	
	Detailed statistics on UK military SAR activity can be found on the Government website at the following link:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/release-calendar/index.html?newquery=*&uday=0&umonth=0&uyear= 0&title=Military+Search+and+Rescue+Monthly+Statistic& pagetype=calendar-entry&lday=&lmonth=&lyear=

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times his Department has provided top-cover fixed-wing search and rescue assets for a search and rescue mission in each of the last two years; and what aircraft were used in each case.

Mark Francois: Information on the occasions when Ministry of Defence (MOD) aircraft have provided top-cover fixed wing search and rescue (SAR) assets for a SAR mission is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Aircraft type Number of SAR missions 
			 2012 E3-D Sentry 1 
			 2013 None 0 
			 20141 C130 1 
			 1 To 5 June 2014. 
		
	
	Aircraft provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or overseas governments may also be tasked by MOD to participate in rescue missions.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the UK armed forces would lose their jobs as a result of Scottish independence.

Mark Francois: The UK Government are not planning for Scottish independence and neither is the Ministry of Defence. Existing members of the UK armed forces would still be part of the UK armed forces and, as far as the UK Government are concerned, would be able to continue to serve in them, subject to the usual requirements of service.

Surveillance: Aircraft

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many surveillance aircraft with capacity to intercept telephone or other electronic telecommunications his Department operates.

Mark Francois: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Written Questions: Government Responses

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Leader of the House how many questions to each Department did not receive a substantive answer by the time of prorogation; and how long each question had been waiting for an answer.

Andrew Lansley: This information is not held centrally and would be a matter for the individual Departments concerned.
	My office collates wider departmental performance information for ordinary and named day parliamentary questions, which I submit in relation to each Session to the Procedure Committee. Each Department is required to set out in its evidence to the Procedure Committee, any factors which have caused delays in answering written questions.
	Statistics relating to departmental performance for the 2012-13, 2010-12 and 2009-10 parliamentary Sessions were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website. I expect to provide data for the last parliamentary Session shortly.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the use of wild animals in circuses.

George Eustice: We will introduce a Bill to end the use of wild animals in circuses when parliamentary time allows.

Birds

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of song birds in the UK.

George Eustice: The UK has designated 615 sites as Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive, and 270 sites as Special Protection Areas under the Birds Directive to provide protection to our most vulnerable and threatened wild birds.
	Agri-environment schemes are the principal means of improving habitat for farmland songbirds, assisting farmers to provide additional habitat and food on their farms for birds and other wildlife. The Government also support the Campaign for the Farmed Environment to provide better habitats for farmland birds.
	The Government have provided £7.5 million to establish 12 Nature Improvement Areas. These are intended to benefit birds by improving existing habitat, creating new habitat and improving connectivity between habitats.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 20W, on Bovine Tuberculosis, and to answer 3 of his Department's response to Freedom of Information request RFI 6487, Investigations into culling as an option, published on 7 May 2014, for what reasons the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion did not give information on the trials into using gas as a potential method for culling badgers which began in Summer 2013; on what date those trials commenced; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: In August 2013, we commissioned new research into alternative methods of culling badgers.
	The first step involved reviewing and updating the ‘Review of effectiveness, environmental impact, humaneness and feasibility of lethal methods for badger control’ published in 2005. The review was completed in September 2013.
	In October and November 2013 we carried out initial trials of nitrogen-filled foam to analyse its dispersal in an artificial sett-like environment. These trials did not involve the use of active setts or tests on live animals.
	Further research is now planned into the use of carbon monoxide as a potential sett-based means of humane culling.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the Support for Fishermen Fund to replace lost and damaged fishing gear has been received by fishermen and businesses to date.

George Eustice: To date, one claim for support to replace lost and damaged fishing gear has been made with a grant value of £2,320, with final validation checks currently being carried out against another three claims worth £14,257. So far, 110 applications have been received with a grant value of £349,218. Of these, 33 projects have been approved so far with a grant value of £74,047.

Glyphosate

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has issued on the use of glyphosate to (a) national park authorities and (b) managers of public parks in urban areas; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: Detailed guidance on use is provided by conditions of use on individual product labels. This is supplemented by “The Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products”, which provides guidance to all users on the safe and effective use of pesticides, including glyphosate.

Glyphosate

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer given in the House of Lords of 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 208W, on Agriculture: Pesticides, if he will place in the Library a list of the (a) published research being considered by the current review of the EU approval of glyphosate and (b) ongoing or completed research relating to potential links between glyphosate and chronic diseases and conditions in humans.

Dan Rogerson: Lists of the studies found by a search of published literature and of those determined to be relevant by the German regulatory authorities, who are assessing the data on behalf of the EU, can be found in Volume 3 of the Renewal Assessment Report. This was published on 12 March 2014 on the European Food Safety Authority’s website at:
	http://dar.efsa.europa.eu/dar-web/provision
	The Government do not plan to publish a separate list of ongoing or completed research.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

Dan Rogerson: There is no National Wellbeing Index, but the Office for National Statistics has developed a dashboard of measures to monitor wellbeing, both subjective and objective, and in a number of domains.
	The most DEFRA relevant measures are:
	Where we live domain
	5.3 Accessed natural environment at least once a week in the last 12 months.
	Environment Domain
	10.2 Protected areas in the UK.
	10.4 Household waste that is recycled.
	It is too early to be able to show a large number of policies which have been influenced by the data, particularly when the statistics are experimental, but there is still a lot of ongoing work. In terms of my Department’s policy work on wellbeing and the general approach, DEFRA officials provided written evidence for the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) Inquiry on Wellbeing initiated last year. This evidence was co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and submitted on behalf of Government. The evidence document can be found here:
	http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/environmental-audit-committee/wellbeing/written/1069.pdf

Horses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he or officials of his Department have had on the effects of digestion of sycamore tree seeds on horses; and what estimate he has made of the number of horses that have died as a result of ingesting such seeds.

George Eustice: Digestion of sycamore seeds can cause equine atypical myopathy. However, like many other equine illnesses, such as strangles and equine influenza, this is not a notifiable disease so there has been no need for active Government intervention.
	DEFRA works closely with the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) in identifying cases of this emerging condition in the British equine population. This includes monitoring scientific developments and inclusion of data in the joint DEFRA/AHT/BEVA Equine Quarterly Disease Surveillance Report published on the AHT’s website.
	This type of surveillance and communication enables private veterinarians to advise horse keepers to avoid pasture containing sycamore trees during high risk periods and to provide additional forage on fields where grazing is poor. This should be sufficient to mitigate against this illness. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep in touch with the equine veterinary profession to be aware of developments.

Merlins

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of merlins in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to maintain their numbers and habitat.

George Eustice: The merlin is protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to take, kill or injure any wild bird; take or damage their nests while in use; and take or destroy an egg. This robust legal framework protects the merlin from persecution, with penalties including imprisonment.
	The Department has not made an assessment of merlin population levels. A study by Ewing et al reported that in 2008 there were approximately 1,100 breeding pairs of merlins in the UK.
	Several measures are in place to protect habitats. The UK has designated 615 sites as Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive, and 270 sites as Special Protection Areas under the Birds Directive to provide protection to our most vulnerable and threatened wild birds.
	The Government have also provided £7.5 million to establish twelve Nature Improvement Areas. These are intended to benefit birds by improving existing habitat, creating new habitat and improving connectivity between habitats.

Poultry

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on beak trimming of chickens; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2010 restricts the method used for the routine beak trimming of laying hens to infra-red technology only. The Government are also working with the Beak Trimming Action Group, which includes representatives from industry, welfare groups and scientists, to find ways to manage flocks of birds without the need to beak trim. DEFRA is currently funding a peer reviewed research study to assess the effectiveness of management strategies in reducing injurious pecking in non-beak trimmed laying hens. The results of this pilot study and all other available evidence will feed into a review in 2015.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress his Department has made on (a) the Cabinet Office capabilities plan published in April 2013 and (b) the key area specified in that plan on redesigning services and delivering them digitally.

Francis Maude: The 2013 Civil Service-wide Capabilities Plan identified four priorities for capability building, one of which is digital capability. The report and the Government's Civil Service Reform plan noted that there was a long-standing weakness in digital capability. If action had begun under a previous Administration to address this the digital capability of the civil service would have been far better at the time of the last general election.
	The Cabinet Office publishes Quarterly Progress Reports against the Government Digital Strategy, which covers digital capability. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-digital-strategy-reports-and-research

Crime: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many offences of (a) crime related to vehicles, (b) burglary of a dwelling, (c) other burglary, (d) criminal damage, (e) theft, (f) violence and (g) other crimes were committed in York in each year since 2004-05;
	(2)  how many crimes were reported to the police in York in each year since 2004-05.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of total crime, crime related to vehicles, burglary of a dwelling, other burglary, criminal damage, theft, violence, and other crimes were committed in York in each year since 2004/05 [198508 and 198509]
	Police recorded crime figures are provided for the last nine financial years (April to March) for York Local Authority. These figures are the published figures which are crimes recorded by the police.
	
		
			 York—Police recorded crime 
			  2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2009-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Theft1 6,062 5,931 5,467 5,291 5,167 4,705 5,145 4,567 4,046 
			 Vehicle offences 3,224 3,841 3,556 2,498 2,392 1,276 1,254 1,172 951 
			 Domestic burglary 1,117 1,081 1,065 975 1,113 691 753 671 571 
			 Non-domestic burglary 1,596 1,702 1,577 1,343 1,272 1,115 1,327 1,236 875 
			 Criminal damage and arson 4,579 4,339 4,143 3,637 3,633 2,784 2,473 2,073 1,854 
			 Robbery 171 123 155 132 122 83 103 82 54 
			 Violence 3,024 2,911 2,537 2,237 2,174 1,969 2,035 2,005 1,939 
			 Sexual offences 166 170 172 175 169 188 175 166 194 
			 Other crimes2 3,141 2,686 2,263 2,613 1,844 1,669 1,934 1,604 1,444 
			           
			 Total 23,080 22,784 20,935 18,901 17,886 14,480 15,199 13,576 11,928 
			 1 Theft includes: ‘bicycle theft’, ‘shoplifting’, ‘theft from the person’ and ‘all other theft offences’. 2 Other crimes includes: ‘drug offences’, ‘fraud offences’, ‘miscellaneous crimes against society’, ‘possession of weapons offences’ and ‘public order offences’. Note: Data on police recorded crime are designated as Official Statistics following the UK Statistics Authority’s decision to withdraw the National Statistics badge from the police recorded crime data series. The full assessment report can be found on the UK Statistics Authority website. 
		
	
	These data have been published by the ONS and have been extracted from the data tables within the file entitled ‘Recorded crime data at Community Safety Partnership/Local Authority level from 2002/03’. This file is available here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-322086
	Consistent with published ONS crime trends data, the table above show figures for financial year periods, with the last data point covering the year ending March 2013. ONS have published data covering a more recent time period, year ending December 2013. The total number of crimes in the year ending December 2013 recorded by the police in York was 11,291. This figure has an overlap of three months (January 2013 to March 2013) with the 2012/13 financial year. The year ending December data are only available back to 2007, not 2004/05 as requested.
	Police recorded crime data covering the year to December can be found in the ‘Recorded crime data at Community Safety Partnership/Local Authority level from 2002/03’ file, available here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-328141

Drugs: Misuse

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths there were from (a) drug poisoning and (b) drug misuse in (i) York local authority area, (ii) North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust, (iii) Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group area and (iv) England in each year since 2009.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths there were from (a) drug poisoning and (b) drug misuse in (i) York local authority area, (ii) North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust, (iii) Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group area and (iv) England in each year since 2009. (198535)
	The tables provide the number of deaths where the underlying cause was related to drug poisoning (Table 1) or drug misuse (Table 2) for (i) York unitary authority, (ii) North Yorkshire and York primary care trust (iii) NHS Vale of York clinical commissioning group and (iv) England, for deaths registered between 2009 and 2012 (the latest year available).
	The number of drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales from 1993 to 2012 are available on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html
	In addition, the numbers of deaths and mortality rates from drug misuse in each local authority in England, for deaths registered between 2004 and 2012 are available on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/business-transparency/freedom-of-information/what-can-i-request/published-ad-hoc-data/health/august-2013/drug-misuse-deaths-by-local-authority.xls
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths where the underlying cause was related to drug poisoning, selected areas in England, deaths registered 2009 to 20121, 2, 3 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 York unitary authority 8 11 15 7 
			 North Yorkshire and York primary care trust 34 34 34 29 
			 Vale of York clinical commissioning group 10 14 18 15 
			 England 2,675 2,509 2,425 2,367 
			 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes shown in Box 1 as follows. 2 Figures are based on boundaries as at Feb 2014 and exclude deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring between 2009 and 2012. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a drug-related death to be registered. This registration delay also varies considerably between local areas. Additional information on registration delays for drug-related deaths can be found in the annual statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2. Number of deaths related to drug misuse, selected areas in England, deaths registered 2009 to 20121, 2, 3, 4 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 York unitary authority 5 10 13 6 
			 North Yorkshire and York primary care trust 23 25 26 18 
			 Vale of York clinical commissioning group 7 11 15 10 
		
	
	
		
			 England 1,729 1,625 1,461 1,356 
			 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning and where a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death certificate. More details on the definition of a death related to drug misuse can be found in the background notes of the ‘Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales’ statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 2 Figures for drug misuse shown in Table 2 are included in the figures for all drug poisonings in Table 1. 3 Figures are based on boundaries as at Feb 2014 and exclude deaths of non-residents. 4 Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring between 2009 and 2012. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a drug-related death to be registered. This registration delay also varies considerably between local areas. Additional information on registration delays for drug-related deaths can be found in the annual statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define deaths related to drug poisoning Description 
			  ICD 10 Codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11–F16, F18–F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40–X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60–X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10–Y14

Employment: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the UK Statistics Authority has made of the number of (a) men and (b) women who were employed (i) full-time and (ii) part-time in York Central constituency for the 12-month Annual Population Survey periods ending in September in each year since the inception of the survey.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for the number of (a) men and (b) women who were employed (i) full-time and (ii) part-time in York Central constituency for the 12 month Annual Population Survey periods ending in September in each year since the inception of the survey.(198531)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles estimates of the number people in employment from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	The table shows the number of men and women resident in York Central constituency in full-time and part-time employment according to survey responses from the APS for the 12 month periods ending in September from 2005 to 2013.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a certain level of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates of the levels is included on the tables.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people in full-time and part-time employment resident in York Central constituency 
			 Thousand 
			  Male Female 
			 12 months ending September: Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time 
			 2005 24 3 13 11 
			 2006 22 3 12 12 
			 2007 23 2 12 12 
			 2008 24 3 12 11 
			 2009 25 4 15 10 
			 2010 24 3 17 10 
			 2011 24 4 14 13 
			 2012 23 4 12 15 
			 20131 **25 ***4 ***13 ***13 
			 1 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV = 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department are working on G Cloud.

Nick Hurd: A full-time team of 25 supports the existing G-Cloud and Digital Services frameworks and the new Digital Marketplace, working with and giving advice to Departments to help them get the best from the frameworks.

Museums and Galleries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 316W, on museums and galleries, what the financial contribution required from each institution in the museums and galleries sector is from the transfer in employers' contributions following the Cabinet Office review of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Francis Maude: Such details would be finalised before any potential transfer of liabilities.

Prostate Cancer

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Health how many men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in each of the last five years [199035].
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2011. Table 1 provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer in England, for each year from 2007 to 2011.
	Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, because a man may be diagnosed with more than one primary prostate cancer over time, although this is rare.
	The latest published figures on cancer incidence in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer,1 England, 2007-112, 3 
			  Incidence of prostrate cancer 
			 2007 32,159 
			 2008 32,452 
			 2009 35,677 
			 2010 35,702 
			 2011 35,567 
			 1 Cancer of the prostate is coded as C61 according to the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). 2 Cancer incidence figures are based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. 3 Based on geographic boundaries as of May 2014. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Prostate Cancer

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people died from prostate cancer in (a) Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people in (a) Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency and (b) England died from prostate cancer in each of the last five years. (199306)
	Table 1 provides the number of deaths where prostate cancer was the underlying cause of death, in (a) Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport parliamentary constituency and (b) England, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).
	The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and underlying cause, are published annually on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths where the underlying cause was prostate cancer in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport parliamentary constituency and England, deaths registered between 2008 and 20121, 2, 3 
			 Deaths (males) 
			 Area of usual residence 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport 13 15 19 20 18 
		
	
	
		
			 England 8,593 8,843 9,085 9,123 9,133 
			 1 Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C61 (Malignant neoplasm of prostate). 2 Figures are based on boundaries correct as at May 2014 and exclude non-residents. 3 Figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes including prostate cancer can be found on the ONS website at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html

Public Sector: Mutual Societies

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the mutuals which provide public services.

Nick Hurd: Information on known operational public service mutuals in England is publically available on the Mutuals Information Service at:
	http://www.mutuals.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/interactive-map-public-service-mutuals

Public Sector: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff (a) were employed by, (b) left and (c) joined the Government Procurement Services Commissioning Academy in each quarter since its introduction; how many students passed through the Commissioning Academy in each quarter; and what the average length was of courses taken by those students.

Nick Hurd: A core Cabinet Office team of 3.5 FTE staff supports the Commissioning Academy.
	In total, 231 participants have so far benefited from the programme, comprising:
	21 in the first pilot course (June to December 2012);
	26 in the second pilot course (November 2012 to April 2013);
	67 in wave 1 (June to December 2013);
	87 in wave 2 (commencing January 2014 and due to finish in July 2014).
	In addition, there are:
	30 participants in the Norfolk Local Commissioning Academy (commencing November 2013 and due to finish in June 2014).

Temporary Employment

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people on (a) temporary and (b) fixed-term contracts in each of the last four years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people on (a) temporary and (b) fixed-term contracts in each of the last four years. (198617)
	Estimates of the number of temporary employees by type of job are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are published quarterly in a supplementary table associated with the regular Labour Market Statistical Bulletin. Annual averages consistent with the quarterly estimates in the published table are provided for this answer along with the requested proportions. The categorisation used in the table is based on how the survey respondents describe the kind of temporary job they are in and may be subject to a degree of reporting error. It is therefore recommended that the data be viewed in the context of all the available categories.
	On the LFS, information about fixed term contracts is only collected for those people who report that their job is temporary. There may be some people on fixed-term contracts who regard their position as permanent. However, no estimates for this are available.
	A link to the latest release of the published table is provided as follows:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/may-2014/table-emp07.xls
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. These are indicated by the guide to quality in the table.
	
		
			 Temporary employees by type of contract, UK, annual averages 
			    Temporary employees1  
			  All2 Fixed period contract Agency temping Casual work Seasonal work Other Total employees 
			 Levels (thousands):        
			 2010 1,536 699 249 306 89 187 24,836 
			 2011 1,558 686 282 300 94 193 24,940 
			 2012 1,607 702 299 336 91 178 25,074 
			 2013 *1,594 *701 **287 **334 ***76 **195 *25,407 
			 As a percentage of total employees:        
			 2010 6.2 2.8 1.0 1.2 0.4 0.8 100 
			 2011 6.2 2.8 1.1 1.2 0.4 0.8 100 
			 2012 6.4 2.8 1.2 1.3 0.4 0.7 100 
			 2013 6.3 2.8 1.1 1.3 0.3 0.8 100 
			 1 Temporary employees are those who say that their main job is non-permanent in one of the ways described in the column headings. 2 Includes a small number of people who did not state their type of temporary work. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV = 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Labour Force Survey, ONS

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disadvantaged: EU Grants and Loans

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of a Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived on deprived communities in the UK.

Esther McVey: The Government are currently considering the best use of the money. It is therefore too early to assess what impact it might have.

Housing Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on housing benefit in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The information is shown in the following table. Housing benefit expenditure by parliamentary constituency is not available prior to 2011-12.
	
		
			 Housing benefit spending between 2008-09 and 2012-13 
			 £ million, nominal 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Bury St Edmunds constituency n/a n/a n/a 23.5 25.5 
			 Suffolk 145.5 169.1 183.3 192.9 204.0 
			 England and Wales 15,711.7 18,433.4 19,766.4 21,092.5 22,104.2 
			 Note: The figure for England and Wales in 2012-13 is slightly different from that previously published due to inclusion of updated information from some local authorities. Source: Mid-year statistical data and local authority subsidy returns.

ICT

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the useful life of IT assets listed in his Department’s annual report and accounts; and whether these will be amortised over a five year period.

Michael Penning: The following link shows the DWP annual reports and accounts for the financial year 2012-13, which is the latest published information available.
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/264555/dwp-annual-report-accounts-2012-2013.pdf

Jobseeker’s Allowance

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants who received a benefits sanction are eligible for the 80 per cent hardship payment of their jobseeker's allowance personal entitlement allowance;
	(2)  how many claimants who had their benefits sanctioned and received 80 per cent of their jobseeker's allowance personal entitlement allowance (a) appealed and (b) did not appeal against the decision.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Pension Credit: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in (a) Bolton North East constituency and (b) Bolton have received pension credit since 2010.

Steve Webb: Statistics on pension credit are available from 100% data and are published on the Department's website at:
	http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/pc/tabtool_pc.html
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions have been held with HM Treasury about changes in costs of administering the personal independence payment assessment process; what the outcomes of those discussions have been; and how they affect the current Spending Review benefits savings target and the proposed cap on benefit expenditure.

Michael Penning: The costs of administering the PIP assessment process were published in the NAO report in February 2014 and quote the current PIP business case (2013-14):
	http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Personal-independence-payment-early-progress.pdf
	Forecast expenditure on PIP will be updated at autumn statement. The most recent forecasts were published by the Office for Budget Responsibility following Budget 2014:
	http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/37839-OBR-Cm-8820-accessible-web-v2.pdf
	The Department meets regularly with HM Treasury to discuss progress on all programmes.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the review of personal independence payment operational systems and problems recommended by the National Audit Office in February 2014 was undertaken; what the outcome of the review was; and when it will be published.

Michael Penning: We are committed to driving up PIP performance and we are taking action to improve this by working with providers and reviewing DWP internal processes.
	We continuously review the initiatives that link to the NAO actions.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of current performance towards achieving the target of assessing all current disability living allowance claimants for personal independence payment by 2018; and if he will estimate the potential additional costs in (a) the amount of benefit claimed and (b) the cost of processing claims if the current rate of assessments were to be maintained.

Michael Penning: We continue to monitor performance in the current phase of reassessment and along with our performance on new claims, this will inform further roll-out plans for natural reassessment.
	Our plan is to complete reassessment within our original time scales and budget.

Separated People: Finance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding has been paid from the Help and Support for Separated Families (HSSF) Innovation Fund to each of the HSSF projects which signed contracts for delivery in April 2013.

Steve Webb: All Innovation Fund projects deliver different services and have different timescales. Their agreed payment schedules are considered commercially sensitive and cannot be shared at this time.

Separated People: Finance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many organisations hold the Help and Support for Separated Families Mark; and what the total cost to his Department has been of developing, awarding and promoting the mark.

Steve Webb: 35 organisations currently hold the Help and Support for Separated Families Mark. The total cost for developing, awarding and promoting the Help and Support for Separated Families mark is £136,500.

Separated People: Finance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost to his Department has been of implementing and evaluating the Help and Support for Separated Families Co-ordinated Telephone Network to date; and what estimate he has made of the future costs of that initiative;
	(2)  when the Help and Support for Separated Families Co-ordinated Telephone Network started full operation; and which organisations are taking part.

Steve Webb: The Help and Support for Separated Families telephone network began full operation in March 2014 and the participating organisations are:
	Family Lives;
	Relate;
	Wikivorce; and
	The National Youth Advocacy Service.
	£344,000 of awards have been made for the co-ordinated telephony network. £344,000 is the maximum amount payable under the terms of the grant for the period to 31 May 2014. This covers both actual invoices paid to date and amounts not yet billed by suppliers. The evaluation of the telephony network will be carried out in-house.

State Retirement Pensions

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) net and (b) gross administration charges for the national insurance pension scheme were in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions administers the national insurance pension scheme (state retirement pension) and fully recovers its administrative costs from the National Insurance Fund operated by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The net cost to the Department of administering the national insurance pension scheme is therefore zero.
	At the start of each financial year, costs are calculated on the basis of latest work load forecasts and the most recent audited unit costs. The amount to be recovered is then agreed with HMRC.
	Costs recovered from the National Insurance Fund in relation to administration costs for the national insurance pension scheme were as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 504.5 
			 2008-09 391.9 
			 2009-10 390.3 
			 2010-11 348.6 
			 2011-12 221.6 
			 2012-13 252.6 
			 2013-14 246.9 
			 2014-15 209.9 
		
	
	Prior to 2007, the charge was not calculated on a benefit by benefit basis and therefore we do not hold any details of costs recovered from the National Insurance Fund relating specifically to the national insurance pension scheme.

Unemployed People: Travel

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review his Department's policy on issuing travel warrants to rural residents for (a) fortnightly signing-on and (b) other interviews and advisory meetings to take account of the need for such residents to travel further than average to jobcentres.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus has flexibility to meet the particular needs of claimants living in rural areas.
	For example postal signing can be offered and claimants attending interviews on days outside their normal day of attendance can have their travelling expenses reimbursed.
	Work Coaches are also able to use the Flexible Support Fund and issue Travel Discount Cards to help claimants with travel expenses.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of universal credit assets is; and what changes there were to this value.

Esther McVey: The value of the universal credit assets is set out in the Department for Work and Pensions annual report and accounts 2012-13. Ref HC20, published in December 2013.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many couple claims have been made for universal credit.

Esther McVey: New claims for universal credit will be made available for couples for the first time, from this summer.

Universal Credit: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington North constituency received universal credit at any time since the start of the Warrington pilot; and how many were in receipt of it on 1 April 2014.

Esther McVey: The Department published the latest set of experimental Official Statistics on UC on the 14 May 2014 which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics
	Statistics covering the periods to the end of March and April 2014 will be published on the 11 June and 16 July 2014 respectively.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people gaining work through the Work programme have entered self-employment since the inception of that programme.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Business: Females

Helen Goodman: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities pursuant to the Government Equalities Office press release of 13 May 2014 entitled £1 million to help women start or grow their own business, whether that sum will be drawn from the budget of the Super Connected Cities programme.

Edward Vaizey: The £1 million Woman and Broadband Challenge Fund is additional to the Super Connected Cities programme. It will support local activity to help women take advantage of the Government’s investment in superfast broadband to set-up or grow their business. The 40 broadband projects in England already delivering the Superfast Broadband programme are invited to submit bids to the fund.

PRIME MINISTER

British Irish Council

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister when he last attended a British-Irish Council summit; and how many such summits he has attended since becoming Prime Minister.

David Cameron: A list of attendees at all British-Irish Council Summits is available on the British-Irish Council website. I have placed a list of UK Government delegates since May 2010 in the Library of the House.
	UK Government Delegates at British–Irish Council Summits since May 2010:
	Fourteenth Summit–Guernsey–25 June 2010
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland–The Right Honourable Owen Paterson MP
	Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change–Mr Charles Hendry MP
	Fifteenth Summit–Isle of Man—13 December 2010
	Deputy Prime Minister—The Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland—The Right Honourable Owen Paterson MP
	Sixteenth Summit—London—20 June 2011
	Deputy Prime Minister—The Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland—The Right Honourable Owen Paterson MP
	Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change—Mr Charles Hendry MP
	Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury—Mr David Gauke MP
	Seventeenth Summit—Dublin—13 January 2012
	Deputy Prime Minister—The Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland—The Right Honourable Owen Paterson MP
	Eighteenth Summit—Scotland—22 June 2012
	Secretary of State fro Scotland—The Right Honourable Michael Moore MP
	Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change—The Right Honourable Edward Davey MP
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland—The Right Honourable Owen Paterson MP
	Nineteenth Summit—Cardiff—26 November 2012
	Secretary of State for Wales—The Right Honourable David Jones MP
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland—The Right Honourable Theresa Villiers MP
	Twentieth Summit—Derry-Londonderry—21 June 2013
	Deputy Prime Minister—The Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland—The Right Honourable Theresa Villiers MP
	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Energy and Climate Change—Baroness Sandip Verma
	Twenty First Summit—Jersey—15 November 2013
	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland—The Right Honourable Theresa Villiers MP
	Minister of Justice—The Right Honourable Lord McNally

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Offences Against Children

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney-General how many reported cases of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged 13 to 16 under section 6 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 were not prosecuted because of the 12 month statute of limitations for that offence in the last (a) year, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold records of the number of cases reported to the police or of the number the police decide not to proceed with. A record is held of the number of cases where the CPS has been asked to make a charging decision and the decision made; either to charge or take no further action.
	However, no central records of the alleged offence(s) considered at the pre-charge decision are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of allegations of unlawful sexual intercourse offences considered and those which do not proceed, either by way of decision to take no further action or discontinuance following charge, due to the 12-month Statute of Limitations would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Accommodation Agencies

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the costs to local authorities of proposals to extend fines on letting agents who fail to publish their fees tariff in full;
	(2)  what representations he has received from local authorities about the extension of fines to letting agents who fail to publish their fees tariff in full;
	(3)  what consultation he has had with local authorities about the extension of fines to letting agents who fail to publish their fees tariff in full.

Kris Hopkins: Requiring letting agents to be transparent about their fees will prevent the small minority of rogue agents from imposing unreasonable, hidden charges. This common sense approach avoids excessive state regulation which would just push up rents for tenants. This and mandatory membership of redress schemes will give local authorities the tools they need to weed out the cowboys that give agents a bad name; and drive up standards.
	We have not received particular representations from local authorities on this issue. We will undertake a New Burdens assessment in due course in the usual way.

Housing: Construction

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account he takes of local referendums on the desirability of specific sites being allocated to new housing.

Nicholas Boles: This coalition Government have given communities radical new rights to plan for their areas, deliver the development they want and control their future. Over 1,000 communities have applied for a neighbourhood planning area to be designated, and neighbourhood plans are receiving overwhelming support through local referendums. So far, we have had 17 successful referendums on neighbourhood plans.
	A neighbourhood plan (including any specific sites within it) which has been supported by the majority of those voting in a referendum can form the basis for decisions on development in the local area.
	A neighbourhood development order, if endorsed by a local referendum, can also grant permission for specified developments in a neighbourhood area.

Housing: Construction

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will provide incentives to developers to ensure that new homes planned for construction in 2014-15 will be (a) wheelchair accessible and (b) built to lifetime homes standards.

Stephen Williams: Part M of the Building Regulations set minimum access standards for new homes. The Government plans to introduce an optional level of accessibility above these minimum access standards which will set out criteria for age friendly, accessible and adaptable standards. The Government also plan to set out within Part M an optional standard which will set out criteria related to the specific needs of wheelchair adaptable and accessible housing.
	Furthermore, the National Planning Policy Framework already sets out that Local Plans should take into account the current and future needs of range of households including older and disabled people.
	This combination of Building Regulations and national planning policy sets a robust framework to promote adaptable and accessible housing.

Housing: Construction

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses built in each of the last five years are (a) wheelchair accessible and (b) built to lifetime homes standards.

Stephen Williams: DCLG does not collect information on the number of wheelchair-accessible or lifetime homes standard properties built each year.

Housing: Construction

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the demand for (a) homes built to lifetime home standards and (b) wheelchair accessible homes.

Stephen Williams: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the overall demand for lifetime homes or wheelchair-accessible properties in the UK.
	While the Department’s English Housing Survey does ask respondents whether their current accommodation requires adaptations given their disability or long standing illness, these questions do not ask specifically about wheelchair accessibility. It is therefore not possible to estimate demand for wheelchair accessible properties in England using this data source.
	Estimates using the English Housing Survey show there to be around 1.1 million wheelchair-accessible homes in England, equating to 5% of the dwelling stock. Data reported by social landlords, in England, shows that around 1% (2,700 of 240,000 general needs lettings) of tenants taking up a social letting in 2011-12 identified their household as needing wheelchair accessible housing (source: The Continuous Recording of Lettings and Sales of Social Housing in England).

Housing: Construction

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to ensure accessible housing, meeting internationally recognised visitability standards, for people who become disabled in 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: The Approved Document to Part M (Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations already includes key criteria for visitability including requiring reasonable provision for level or gently sloping entrances, level thresholds, minimum entrance door widths and circulation in the entrance storey, and provision of an entrance level WC.

Housing: Construction

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses not compliant with Part M building regulations were built (a) in the last two years and (b) since 2010.

Stephen Williams: My Department does not hold the information requested.
	Building control bodies (local authorities or private sector approved inspectors) assess new dwellings for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations, including Part M, at both plans stage and throughout the course of building work on site. If at any stage the building control body considers that a new dwelling would not be compliant on completion it will give the person carrying out the work advice and guidance on what is needed to make the dwelling compliant and a warning that a failure to comply might result in formal enforcement action. In almost all cases this is sufficient to achieve compliance. At the completion of work, if the work complies, the building control body will give a compliance certificate.

Housing: Prices

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average house price was in (a) Liverpool, (b) the North West and (c) England in each year since 1994.

Kris Hopkins: Statistics on average house price in Liverpool and England are published in the Department’s live tables 581 (mean, quarterly), 582 (median, quarterly), 585 (mean, annually) and 586 (median, annually) which are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-housing-market-and-house-prices
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by government office region.

Housing: Sales

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria his Department uses to assess the saleability of new houses when determining the potential for five-year housing supply.

Nicholas Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework requires local authorities to identify and update annually a supply of specific, deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements with an additional buffer of 5% (moved forward from later in the plan period) to ensure choice and competition in the market for land.
	Footnote 11 of the framework sets out that, to be considered deliverable, sites should be available now, offer a suitable location for development now, and be achievable with a realistic prospect that housing will be delivered on the site within five years and in particular that development of the site is viable. Further guidance on viability is available at:
	http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/viability-guidance/

Housing: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average rent is for (a) privately rented homes and (b) new homes built under the Affordable Homes Programme in (i) Warrington and (ii) Warrington North constituency.

Kris Hopkins: The information is not held centrally.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding each tenancy deposit protection scheme has received from the Government in each of the last 10 years.

Kris Hopkins: The tenancy deposit protection schemes are operated by private companies under service concession agreements with my Department. All the schemes are designed to be self-financing.
	The service concession agreement that was agreed by the previous Administration with the custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme contained a guarantee that the Government would meet any shortfall arising if approved fees were not covered by the interest on deposits held.
	As a result of the low interest rates that emerged due to the financial turmoil in 2008 and 2009, this agreement left the Government—i.e. taxpayers—liable for a shortfall under that guarantee which was estimated to reach over £30 million by the end of the contract in 2012.
	In May 2010, the coalition Government inherited this unacceptable situation and looming liabilities. As outlined by the Minister without Portfolio, my right hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 828W, following extensive negotiations in summer 2010, the guarantee and all associated liabilities were removed as part of a revised agreement which also incorporated a payment of £12.7 million and a four-year extension of the original agreement.
	This is the only payment which has been made by Government to any of the tenancy deposit protection schemes.